It is Page 3 models like me who have the power, not the men who read The Sun

Shouldn’t the public have the right to choose what they want to view?

Tuesday's 'Sun' published these images on Page 3 (EPA)

As a one-time Page 3 model, I am bound to say that I’ve never seen anything wrong with it. We’ve been celebrating both female and male naked bodies for centuries - in statues, paintings and other forms of art. Isn’t Page 3 just the modern-day equivalent?

From a personal point of view, I know fully how much self-confidence you can gain from appearing on Page 3. The Sun accepted all shapes and sizes and to be part of something that is so appreciated makes a woman feel not only powerful but accepted for all that she is. Shouldn’t we welcome this? The power does not lie in the hands of the men looking at Page 3, but in the hands of the model - who is also earning a good living from doing something she also enjoys. Page 3 isn’t demeaning to women in the slightest.

Of course the fact that Page 3 has been so easily accessible is a source of concern among many women, and especially among parents. But the fact is that children now have access to the internet and will come across far more explicit images. So where do we draw the line?

The human body is viewable on TV all the time. Take “Embarrassing Bodies” and “How To Look Good Naked”. Two shows that are at opposite ends of the spectrum, but the naked body is central to them both, and they don’t just stop at the female breasts. I am very pro these shows. I find them insightful and educational, and for anyone who doesn’t have the ‘perfect’ body – ie pretty much everyone – they give confidence in knowing that you are not alone. While some people may say Page 3 is different in its purpose, a young child would not view Page 3 and the shows I’ve mentioned as any different from each other. They are too young to read sex into something like Page 3, which in any case was always very tastefully done.

Maybe after 40 years it was time to modernise Page 3 but after the decision to stop it, I still find myself asking - are we becoming too controlling? Shouldn’t the public have the right to choose what they want to view? Isn’t this what freedom of expression is all about?