On Oct. 7, the Internet went into a frenzy as nude photos of Justin Bieber quickly circulated throughout social media, reached the websites of nearly every major publication and sparked worldwide reaction.

For the most part, people on Twitter talked about the 21-year-old singer’s full-frontal nudity with either an air of humor or slight annoyance. The reactions I saw on Facebook ranged from mild disgust to thinly veiled enjoyment, with a few people in absolute shock about Bieber’s … impressive assets. (I truly apologize for that phrasing.)

USA Today ran an article titled “Twitter’s best reactions to Bieber’s nude pictures,” filled mostly with memes making light of the situation. Mic posted a tongue-in-cheek article that, after briefly mentioning the potential immorality of the photos, delved into “The Six Stages of Self-Loathing When Looking At Justin Bieber’s Nudes.”

Even Jeremy Bieber, the star’s father, couldn’t ignore the craziness, penning a tweet so cringeworthy that you had to wonder if he was hacked or had a little too much to drink.

justin bieber

He later deleted the tweet, showing a semblance of self-awareness and potential regret, but the whole situation got me thinking: What if this happened to a female celebrity of similar stature?

Would Jeremy Bieber still be a “#prouddaddy” if pictures of his daughter’s above-average breasts went viral without her consent? Would people on Twitter and Facebook still edit and react to the photos in a lighthearted fashion? Would sites like Mic and USA Today pen pieces about the incident with only passing mentions of the severe invasion of the female-Bieber’s privacy?

Most likely, the answer is no. Just look at the outrage that erupted after the Aug. 31, 2014, leak of nudes from various female celebrities including Jennifer Lawrence and Kate Upton.

After the leak, the feminist blog Jezebel posted an article titled “Did Someone Just Leak Nude Photos of Jennifer Lawrence?” In it, the author wrote about the leakage of more than 500 nude celebrity photographs — most of them featuring females — in an exasperated matter. The second sentence, which summarizes the general tone of the post, eloquently reads, “You have got to be f—– kidding me.”

Jezebel had a different take on Bieber’s pictures, however, when it posted an article titled, “How To Talk To Your Significant Other About Justin Bieber’s Big Dick.” Apparently, the pictures are a dicey issue endangering the relationship status of thousands across the U.S., and not an invasion of privacy worthy of outrage. The piece was written for laughs and not for a thoughtful analysis of potential wrongdoing, be it legal or ethical.

Other news sources have taken problematic positions on the photos as well. Judging by the title of E! Online’s article “Is There a Justin Bieber Penis Double Standard At Play?” you’d be safe to assume it would have an enlightened view on the matter. Instead, it starts out moderately understandable before delving into a textbook case of victim blaming.

Halfway through the article, there’s a joke that says comparing the treatment of female and male celebrities in this issue is like “apples and oranges. Or apples and bananas.” Shortly after, the author falls into problematic reasoning as she writes, “the point is that more times than not [Bieber] willingly has let the outside in.” After asserting up and down that, no, Bieber doesn’t deserve to have his nude body spread to every corner of the Internet, the article suggests he could have done more to prevent this from happening.

Then it gets into the real juicy stuff.

Firstly, it states, we haven’t heard from Bieber yet about the issue, so we can’t be angry until he voices his opinion. (It’s important to note, however, that Bieber’s legal team reportedly issued a cease-and-desist letter to the New York Daily News to take down the photograph, which so far it has not.) Secondly, it reads, “he’s seen his penis before, so no big deal there.” I’m honestly not really sure how to address that one, so I’ll just leave it there. And finally, the article posits, Bieber has been willingly caught on video smoking and drinking, he’s posted many “down-to-the-pubic-bone shirtless pics” and he rarely shies away from public attention. Because of this, it concludes, he really doesn’t have much room to complain. 

While I read that portion of the story, I couldn’t help but think of the horrid comments made to female rape survivors about how their clothing, their actions or their lack of forcefulness in saying “no” made their assault more likely.

Yes, Bieber is a celebrity, and with such fame comes a heightened risk of events like this happening. And no, I’m not saying that the experiences of an everyday college student and a multimillionaire singer with respect to sexual assault are one and the same.

What I am saying, however, is that as we look to reduce the culture in our society that fosters rape and sexual harassment, we can’t have a different set of responses for men than we do for women. We also can’t completely excuse the mistreatment of people because of their level of fame.

When Lawrence’s pictures were leaked last year, it was the right call to be outraged. No one had a right to see her body, no matter how many nude pictures she took of herself. Similarly, we should be just as adamant about Bieber’s right not to have the most intimate parts of himself broadcast for all to see, no matter if he was standing naked on a balcony or if he is a world-famous “bad boy.”

We must defend the right of privacy for all, as well as the right of human beings to act freely without fear of being blamed for harassment they face, no matter their gender or status. So, please, don’t send around those pictures of Bieber, regardless of how curious you might be. It’s only fair, it’s only right and it’s only something we as members of a civilized society should do.