You may remember when, back in 2014, a large number of female celebrities had their nude photos leaked on 4chan. The leak was condemned by most as an invasion of privacy, and many responded by saying that viewing the photos without consent was wrong. The backlash was absolutely appropriate, but it seems that people didn't learn much from the event.
Justin Bieber's recently leaked nudes have largely been met with jokes and appreciation instead of criticism, despite his lawyers threatening to sue any media that published the photos. An article on TMZ is quoted as saying that "there's almost zero chance Justin sues ... 'cause as they say, size matters." Meanwhile, a year ago, Jennifer Lawrence threatened to sue any media that published her nudes. Her threat, of course, was taken seriously. The belief that Justin Bieber shouldn't sue over the photos because he is attractive makes just as little sense as when applied to Jennifer Lawrence's previous situation.
Bieber apparently mentioned that he was unhappy with the leak and that he felt that it was an invasion of privacy, but TMZ and other media outlets continued to attempt to justify it in their articles. Noisey, a blog owned by Vice, published detailed debates about the size of Bieber's penis after brushing over (and then ignoring) the topic of consent.
Even Bieber's father tweeted that he was a "proud daddy" after seeing the photos. Had Jennifer Lawrence's father said that after seeing her nude, it would have condemned as creepy (which it really is). Twitter was also overcome with jokes referencing Bieber's song "What Do You Mean" as #whatdoyoupeen went viral.
The majority of feminists seek to criminalize revenge porn and to stop people from making jokes about consent. However, in the case of a man having his privacy violated, they have largely ignored their own arguments in favor of joining in on the jokes.
The issue presented here is simple: if you were sunbathing naked in your backyard and a random guy leaned over the top of your fence and started to take photos of you, you'd call 911. Justin Bieber has a right to privacy, just like anyone else, and those who share his nudes are just as wrong as the person who took the pictures.
