How Page Three Became a Tabloid Fixture
The British tabloid convention began at The Sun in 1970, when the paper printed a topless model on its third page. What made the feature influential was not just the photograph, but its placement: readers encountered it early in the paper, in a spot that could become a recognizable daily attraction.
A repeated feature gave editors a dependable way to make the paper feel distinctive. A large, striking image was quick to take in, and a familiar format gave readers a reason to look for that page each day. As The Sun built its identity around Page Three, the feature became part of the paper’s brand rather than an occasional piece of pin-up photography.
From One Paper to a Tabloid Convention
Other British tabloids adopted similar topless-model features, turning the idea into a recognizable element of the market. The formula was easy to reproduce: reserve a prominent page, use a glamour photograph, and make the feature a regular part of the paper’s rhythm. In that sense, “standard” meant common in the tabloid genre—not universal across newspapers, or a form of reporting about current events.
The convention also became a point of public argument. Supporters treated the images as entertainment; critics challenged the way they presented women and the message sent by placing them in a mass-market newspaper. That dispute lasted well beyond the feature’s beginnings. In 2015, The Sun stopped publishing topless models in its print edition, showing how a once-defining page could lose its place as expectations about newspapers and women changed.
