There’s now a lull where just a few weeks ago a giant roar was reverberating through the web of the Internet.
Caitlyn Jenner made her debut on the cover of Vanity Fair’s June issue at the beginning of this month.
My first reaction was, like many others, was “Wow, she’s beautiful.” There were, of course, people that disagreed. But, to be perfectly honest, I have no idea how many people actually thought her decision to transition from male to female was “disgusting,” “repulsive,” or “(insert any derogatory adjective).” I don’t know how many people thought that because I chose not to look at any comments on the Internet, whether I thought they were going to be supportive or not.
I knew there was going to be a lot of hate surrounding the topic and I decided it was in my best interest to not allow those people a platform to speak from or an ear to preach to.
Out of everything that was talked about during the first couple days after Jenner’s magazine cover debut, the most revealing element wasn’t that a man became a woman.
In the last few weeks, it has become clear that the media treats transgender women and non-transgender women pretty much equally.
But, is that actually a good thing?
It’s not when the way we treat women in the media is belittling to begin with.
Like every other woman in America, Jenner will now face constant judgement from everyone about her looks and everything she does and says.
The Daily Show’s Jon Stewart said it best (sarcastically) on his June 2 episode, “Caitlyn, when you were a man, we could talk about your athleticism, your business acumen, but now you’re a woman and your looks are really the only thing we care about.”
He adds, “…congratulations, welcome to being a woman in America.”
Stewart is right.
Yes, most of the responses from mainstream media were generally positive. But, most also had an underlying theme of equating Jenner’s worth to her looks.
Whether you agree with her decision to transition is irrelevant. The fact that the moment someone identifies as female is enough cause to judge that person based on their looks and not their intelligence, courage or bravery is a problem.
