A/N - This chapter was inspired by the song Victoria's Secret by Jax. The reader is Max's older sister who kind of just sort of has her shit together. This one is set during Season 3. I hope you all enjoy it.
When Max told you that she was having a friend over, you automatically assumed that it would be one of the boys. It was rare that she made friends with other girls. In fact, you didn't even know that she had female friends. And then she had introduced you to El and you had been delighted.
Between Billy's idiot buddies and the group of boys Max usually spent time with, you were getting a little tired of all of the testosterone that was being dragged into your home. It was nice to feel completely relaxed, not having to turn on the softer version of yourself to make them all comfortable. No make-up. Messy hair. Comfortable clothes. It was a relief to not have to put on a completely different personality just for your siblings to have their friends around.
You'd been perfectly content watching TV whilst the girls lounged around the floor, flicking through a handful of teen magazines. And it's not like you were eavesdropping, but then you'd overheard something that you couldn't stand.
"God, I wish I could wear that, but I'd look ridiculous," Max murmured, tapping at a picture of one of the models on the page. "You need big boobs to wear something like that. I'd look like a boy in a dress," she pressed on, and your mind went reeling.
You'd worked pretty hard to make sure you didn't ever say anything like that in front of Max. You had wanted to protect her from latching onto the same body issues that you had always suffered with. In fact, you'd lectured your mom about how openly she criticised her own body in front of Max in the past. But it seemed your efforts had been useless.
"That's bullshit," you uttered, and Max looked shocked to find you watching her so intently. "If you want to wear something like that you should just wear it," you pressed on.
"But It wouldn't look good-"
"Says who?" you interrupted.
Her mouth opened and closed as she searched for an answer. "It just wouldn't. No one has to say it."
"I think it would look great on you," you told her, shrugging slightly. "And if you like it, you shouldn't let what anybody else thinks bother you." You paused for a moment, watching as her eyes strayed back down to the page, her fingers dragging over the picture. "I can drive you to the mall if you want?"
She quickly shook her head, swallowing deeply. "I don't want it."
"Okay," you murmured, leaning back in your seat and forcing yourself to look back at the TV screen. It sucked. You didn't want to interfere, but listening to Max already talking negatively about her body when she was only 13 made you feel sick.
You pushed yourself off of the couch, making a beeline for the fridge and pulling it open.
"Do you girls want a soda?" you called back to them.
"Mom said I shouldn't drink that stuff," Max started, sitting up to look at you. "It's full of sugar. Sugar makes you fat."
"Jesus Christ," you bit out, shaking your head as you snatched a can from the fridge. "You know there are worst things in life than being fat? In fact, being fat isn't a bad thing at all." You paused for a moment. "And the only people benefiting off of you denying yourself the stuff you enjoy are the gross old men that tell women how they should look when there's no right way to be pretty."
You quickly crossed the room, getting down on the floor between them and pulling the magazine towards you.
"This right here," you started, prodding at the model on the page. "They've completely edited the whole thing to make you buy the clothes, even though no one actually looks like this in them."
"She looks good in them," Max corrected, looking over your shoulder at the model.
You snorted slightly. "Yeah, because they tailor the clothes to fit her and then edit out any flaw they can find," you chuckled. "If you saw her in person, she'd look completely different to how she looks here." You paused for a moment, shaking your head. "And Christ, Max, she's an adult. You've not even grown into your body yet; you're barely even a teenager."
"But I-"
"No 'buts'," you interrupted. "You're beautiful, whether you have big boobs or none at all, and no one gets to tell you any different. Not even the people who write these stupid magazines." You hesitated for a moment. "Just think, when you have one of those thoughts about how you look, who is benefitting from that? Because it isn't you, is it? It's the idiot men who are making money off of the issues they're causing."
Max looked a little bit sheepish for a moment, shuffling awkwardly on the spot as she searched for something to say.
"I think the dress would look nice on you," El finally hummed. "It's pretty," she added softly.
"You sure you don't want to go to the mall?" you uttered, sitting back up and leaning against the couch. "We could even go and get ice cream. My treat."
"But mom said-" Max's words trailed off. "Can we share a sundae?"
"Of course, we can," you told her. "I'll go get changed," you added, getting to your feet.
"Why?"
You chuckled. "Well, I can't go out looking like this, can I?"
"Who does that thought benefit?" Max hummed out, raising an eyebrow at you and watching as a small smile pulled at your lips.
"Good point," you told her, changing direction and grabbing your car keys and purse from the hook by the front door. "Let's go, Dummies."
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