All Female Celebrities Deserve Respect and Privacy - Not Just Jennifer Lawrence

Targeting Jennifer Lawrence has left us collectively wounded. She's everyone's dream BFF, the goofball next door and to invade her privacy brings the issue closer to home. It's as if it happened to a friend or even ourselves.

Within minutes her name was trending on social media, with users either excited at the chance to see the pictures or repulsed by the violation of the 24-year-old's privacy.

Even if you aren't the kind of cretin to go hunting for the images, the chances are you've seen them. They have become almost impossible to avoid, with people posting them to Twitter or creating memes - memes for God's sake.

Now this isn't the first time that a celebrity's naked photos have gone public without their approval, and it certainly won't be the last. But there is a stark difference in the reaction towards J-Law's stolen images to those exposed before her.

Does this show a growing intolerance to invasions of celebrity privacy? Is it symptomatic of a rise in fourth wave feminism? Is it anti-revenge porn?

Not even close.

Contrary to how it may appear on the surface, the reaction to Jennifer's stolen images show no progress whatsoever. In fact, it screams double standards.

For starters, Jennifer wasn't the only person to be targeted by the hacker. Images of Kate Upton have also been stolen and the hacker claims to have photos of one hundred other celebrities.

But there was only one name trending on social media on Sunday. The outrage is rallying round, almost exclusively, to protect J-Law.

But why? Targeting Jennifer Lawrence has left us collectively wounded. She's everyone's dream BFF, the goofball next door, and to invade her privacy brings the issue closer to home. It's as if it happened to a friend or even ourselves.

Past female celebrity victims of such exposure - think Tulisa, Kim Kardashian, Paris Hilton - have been treated with little or no respect. Some have even blamed them for featuring in the pictures or video in the first place.

Those who post provocative Instagram photographs, pose topless in magazines or have made previously leaked sex tapes, are treated as fair game - but they aren't any less of a victim than Jennifer Lawrence.

What happens in private is exactly that: private. And any violation of this privacy - whether stealing images or republishing them - is a crime. Plain and simple.

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