There was never any arguing that Cindy Crawford is a beautiful woman. Now that unretouched photos of the 48-year-old supermodel have been circulated around the internet, there’s no arguing that she’s beautiful at any age.

But before someone pens another glowing article about how this image courageously shows what a “real” woman looks like, let’s remember that Crawford probably didn’t want this photo released. When leaks happen to other celebrities, we condemn them as a violation of privacy. So why celebrate this photo leak?

I hate that Photoshopping and retouching images of women has become so commonplace that there are apps young women can download to “fix” their Instagram and Facebook pictures. I hate that the expectation of a certain female form is so ubiquitous that even cartoon characters aren’t spared artificial waist nips. I hate that my daughter will grow up inundated by images that will slyly tell her she is not pretty enough.

But demanding that women bear the brunt of subverting beauty standards by laying themselves bare is a cruel - and maybe even anti-feminist - way of addressing the issue.

Too often, releasing unretouched photos feel like a ‘gotcha’ moment aimed at the women posing. This was especially the case when Jezebel offered $10,000 for unretouched photos of Lena Dunham’s Vogue shoot. Whereas exposing a photoshopped model is generally about demonstrating that she’s “pretty” no matter what, going after Dunham - who’s famous in part for the way she unabashedly embraces her “normal” female body - seemed malicious, like saying see, she’s not really that pretty. Either way, exposing any individual woman’s photos without her permission as evidence of the impossibly high beauty standards being imposed on her feels unfair.

Yes, it can be difficult to feel badly for beautiful models, actresses and celebrities – but like it or not, they’re on the front lines of industries that hate women. They’re the ones expected to starve themselves but chastized if their anorexia shows, they’re the ones expected to age gracefully but mercilessly mocked when they are believed to have gotten plastic surgery. (But then, if it’s “good”, seamless work, we’re fine with it). They’re taking serious hits in the public eye – so why do we lay the responsibility of changing society’s unrealistic beauty standards so squarely at their feet?

What about photo editors, magazine editors, advertisers or fashion designers? They have immense power to shape the images being broadcast, and their bodies aren’t subject to the scorn – or celebration – of the world.

Maybe Crawford is unfazed by her picture going viral. This interestingly-timed Instagram post from her husband featuring Crawford in a bikini and looking more taut than the unretouched picture makes me think that’s not the case, and that she’d rather not be the poster girl for aging “naturally”.

For those celebrities who want to take up the cause, I’m all for it. But it’s not something that should be expected of women in the public eye - women who have already dealt with being objectified for their entire careers.

Tearing down unrealistic beauty standards is noble, but it shouldn’t come at the cost of a woman’s privacy and her ability to craft her own narrative, even if that narrative has unbelievably – no seriously, I don’t believe it – flawless skin.