About Page 3
The Sun newspaper was launched on 17 November 1969. There was a glamour picture on Page 3 of the first edition. This was a girl called Ulla Lindstrom. Ulla Lindstrom was the Penthouse Pet of the Month at the time, appearing in the November 1969 issue of Penthouse. For her picture in The Sun Ulla wore a shirt. Glamour pictures continued to appear on Page 3 of The Sun throughout its first year of publication, though the girls remained partially covered. On its first Anniversary, 17 November 1970, The Sun decided to print a girl "in her birthday suit". This was Stepanie Rahn, and the Page 3 girl in its current form started.
The Sun is Britain's main tabloid newspaper. It has a circulation of around 3 million. A Page 3 picture, in a similar style, is also carried by The Daily Star, which is a smaller newspaper (250,000 circulation) in the same market as The Sun.
At any one time there are about 12 girls who are regularly appearing on Page 3 of The Sun and The Daily Star. The best collection of pictures of Page 3 girls available on the Internet is at the website run by The Sun Page3.com.
Nearly all of the 9000 Page 3 pictures that have been printed in The Sun during the 30 years of Page 3 have been photographed by just one man - Beverley Goodway. Beverley Goodway retired in 2003, and his role has been taken over by Alan Strutt who has now become The Sun's Page 3 photographer. For the past few years, all the pictures in The Star have been taken by one person - Jeany Savage.
How To Become a Page 3 Girl
Virtually all the girls who model for Page 3 are managed by one of two London model agencies - Samantha Bond and IMM (Yvonne Paul's agency, formerly known as Yvonne Paul Mangement, is now incorporated with IMM). Although these agencies are in London they manage Page 3 girls from all parts of the country. Yvonne Paul has written a book about Page 3, The Glamour Game. She gives this advice:
In most cases girls ring or write to me asking how they can become models, and usually they will be told to send in their photographs with an SAE. I tell the girls not to go to any special expense for the pictures - I don't want them to spend money on a set in case I have to write back and tell them they're not suitable for my agency. Having said that it's obviously in a girl's best interest to send me good pictures which show her face and figure clearly. If I think a girl has potential after seeing her photograph, I write back suggesting that she telephone for an appointment. I can tell instantly when a girl walks in the door whether she has a chance - in exactly the same way a photographer knows when a girl walks into his studio. Talking to her and looking through her pictures is a formality.
The following advice for potential Page 3 girls is from a former Picture Editor at the Sun:
This is the question I am asked every day of the week. There is no set formula, but measurements, looks, height, hair style and complexion are all considered. We are constantly looking for new faces - another Kathy Lloyd or a Samantha Fox. I insist on photographs being sent in to give an initial assessment of a girls chances. A session with Beverley Goodway is the prize awaiting about 10 percent of those girls who do write in. Should a newcomer show promise she will spend a 2-hour session with him. A session with Beverley does not guarantee a place on Page 3. The picture I look for to make the page will have something extra. The right pose is important but the vital ingredient comes from the model herself: a look, a smile, or a special sparkle that sets her apart.
And this is what Beverley Goodway says:
How do I become a Page 3 girl?
Everyone wants to know what makes the Page Three girl. There are several magic factors but the most important is a pretty face. The look that the girl can give the camera is vital. The sexy thing is the expression in the eyes. The eye contact has to lift the picture out of the page and grab the readers attention. Eyes are the most important focus for any picture. Height is important - the shorter the better. The average Page Three girl is 5' 4". Shorter girls have the curves we're looking for.
Girls who want to become Page 3 girls should enter one of the competitions run regularly by The Sun or The Star. The Sun normally runs its Page 3 Idol competition each Autumn, and The Star runs its Search for a Babe competition each Summer. Alternatively you can write to either of the Page 3 Girls agencies (Samantha Bond and IMM). Their addresses can be found on the Model Agency Addresses page. Those are the only ways to become a Page 3 girl.
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