Venerable British tabloids The Sun and Mail Online are both in trouble again after publishing naked images of Jodie Whittaker (in main photo), the British actor who has just been announced as the first ever female Doctor Who.
The images of the 35-year-old were stills taken from previous acting roles.
The Sun published its photos of the actor from her 2006 Oscar-nomination film Venue under the headline “Dalektable”.
The Mail Online’s article was titled “Doctor Nude!” and, admittedly, included topless and naked photos of previous male Doctors from the iconic sci-fi series. It included photos of Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant and Matt Smith.
Some of the offending images used included:
However, many are questioning the merits of both publishers decision to dredge up naked photos of Whittaker to coincide with the announcement she was to be first woman ever to play the coveted and prestigious role.
A UK group called Equal Representation for Actresses who work to get more equality for females in the TV and film industries expressed its shock at The Sun’s and Mail Online’s decision to run naked photos and sexualise their stories about Whittaker.
“Equal Representation for Actresses (ERA) is a campaign group calling for greater gender parity across our screens and as such we are delighted by the casting of Jodie Whittaker as the 13th Dr Who,” it said in a statement.
“However we are surprised and disappointed by the Daily Mailand Sun’s reductive and irresponsible decision to run a story featuring pictures of Jodie in various nude scenes.”
Whittaker herself has not commented on the articles, but has spoken about the backlash she expects in taking on the Doctor Who role. “I want to tell the fans not to be scared by my gender. Because this is a really exciting time, and Doctor Who represents everything that’s exciting about change. The fans have lived through so many changes, and this is only a new, different one, not a fearful one,” she said in a TV interview.
While many celebrated Whittaker’s new role and gender diversity others have been so outraged they have pledged never to watch the series again.
