The student magazine Vivid has caused a stir with its page three image. The photograph depicts a model, wearing just a pair of knickers and stockings, reclining over Clare Bridge. Her legs are splayed provocatively, and her breasts are clearly visible.

The image's publication has been condemned as sensationalism. As the furore surrounding the topless image gains momentum, there is increasing concern about the impact this publicity may have on the model, who is a Homerton student. CUSU Women's Officer, Natalie Szarek said: "This highlights the disparity between a situation in which a student gives consent over her body and the way that a society with entrenched norms of objectification takes that consent and exceeds its initial conditions." It is thought that the photograph was included in the magazine by its editors with knowing irony and an aim to mimic a tabloid trend.

Responses from Cambridge students on the day of the magazine's publication were mixed. Amelia Garnett, a first year NatSci from Newnham found the image "vulgar" and "pointless". One female Downing third year commented, "I think it's a bit of fun; Cambridge is usually so stuffy". Her friend, a female Catz student added, "I would have loved to see the look on the faces of passing tourists during the photo shoot". Most students, whether they responded positively or negatively, questioned the pupose of the image.

Vivid has featured ‘page three' girls before - notably a lingerie clad student posed draped over the Union chair in issue two. However, such previous images, although of a seductive nature, were significantly less explicit than the one featured in this edition, the fourth issue. The magazine, an independent publication run by Cambridge students, is largely constituted of comment pieces of a political and satirical nature.

The model, who is pictured anonymously in the magazine, has declined to comment on reactions to the photograph. The Vivid editors have also refused to offer a statement.

By Natasha Lennard