Fame Crazy (Sequel to Strings Attached)

Chapter 95

Samandriel purses his lips, then says, "Fine. How about how women are sexualized so much in the media?"

He can't help it. Castiel bursts out laughing at that, earning confused looks from both his brothers.

"Sorry, I just..." Castiel takes a deep breath to recover his composure. "You have to be kidding me. Please tell me that's a joke."

"Um... No?" Samandriel says uncertainly.

"Dude, that's in no way a double standard," Castiel tells him. "Guys have to go topless in movies, tv shows, and magazines all the time so girls will watch, just like girls go shirtless or pantsless or whatever all the time, too, so guys watch. At least people call guys pervs when they comment on girl's boobs or butt. You don't even know the number of times I've seen that I have a nice ass, or people commenting on my abs or my biceps or... well, basically my everything. I don't see anyone making a problem out of that."

"But that..." Samandriel trails off.

Michael grins. "Boom."

"Sorry," Castiel adds. "Not trying to pick sides. I'm just saying it how I see it."

"And if you go body positivity next..." Michael says.

"My god, that's so annoying!" Castiel agrees. "Like, why the hell can girls be a size freaking sixty or whatever and still beautiful but if I don't have a six pack, I don't have a job?"

"How about free the nipple?" Samandriel asks. "What do you have on that?"

"Nothing," Castiel admits. "That's actually a huge double standard and honestly, I don't get why it's still an issue."

"Because women want to be able to show their breasts, but they'll yell at anyone who looks at them," Michael replies.

"Well, actually, that's kinda a good point, I guess," Castiel admits. "I don't really agree, but it's a good point."

"People shouldn't be looking at other people's boobs, though," Samandriel says.

"Hey, if someone was walking around the street topless, guy or girl, it'd get my attention," Michael replies.

"Perv," Samandriel mutters.

"Asexual, so watch it," Michael snaps.

"Wait, you're... How did I not know that?" Samandriel asks.

"Moving on," Michael says quickly, obviously not wanting to talk about his asexuality. "It would catch anyone's eye, regardless of gender or sexuality. Plus, to go along with your whole 'rape' argument that Castiel threw in the trash, you really think that if women are sexualized more than men like that, walking around topless is going to cut down rape?"

Samandriel scoffs. "Right, playing the 'blame the victim' card, are we?"

"Playing the 'Don't walk around with something that sexual out in the open because people are creeps' card, actually."

"That's the thing, though, is that it shouldn't be sexual — well, no more than a guy's nipple. And free the nipple is pretty much the only way to make it the norm."

"It's never going to be the norm, Samandriel! That's the whole damn problem! Because there will always be girls showing as much of their breasts as they can, because they know the guys will love every second of it. Don't pretend this is a problem from a patriarchal society, because at this point, it's just as much about how men treat women as it is about how women treat themselves, and each other.

"How many guys do you know who would make fun of a girl's weight if she's obviously healthy? Not a lot? Now, how many girls do you think would take a look at the same girl with a little extra padding and whisper to their friends about how they're so fat and should just stop eating? I could write a whole fucking list.

"You ever wonder why eating disorders are so much more prominent among women than men? It's because girls are constantly tearing each other down until they have nothing left. Because only someone who's been told that they're not good enough over and over would go days without eating, would feel their stomach growling because all they've had to eat that week is half an apple and still think it's too much. Because the self hated it takes to deny yourself one of the most crucial things to a human being is more than what you can dream up on your own.

"Have you ever seen someone who hasn't eaten for days? Who's eaten less in the last three years than you eat in two months? Because I have. I have seen someone so thin, it looked like all their bones would shatter just by touching them. With bruises all over their body because they don't have the nutrients to heal themself. And I have watched them deny food, the one thing that could save their life, for so long that by the time we had them tube fed, their brain —" Michael pauses and takes a deep breath, fighting back tears. "Her body had been eating her organs. It had eaten her brain. It had eaten her heart. And she died in a hospital bed right in front of me because her heart wasn't strong enough to keep her alive.

"And you want to know what she said to me, the morning before she died? She said, 'I wish I never listened when they told me I was fat.' She was one of the sweetest girls I have ever met, and she killed herself because these girls at school told her she wasn't good enough.

"So stop telling me that women are just the victims! Stop telling me that the problems lies with the boys! Because I won't stop saying 'Not all men' until the girls start saying 'Not just men.'"

And with tears in his eyes, he storms out of the house, leaving the other two in silence.