I remember the good old days of seeing Bruce Jenner’s face being on a box of Wheaties. I always thought he was handsome and his physical skills terrific after winning the men’s decathlon at the 1976 Olympics. Time went on and next thing you know he is once again in the limelight on Keeping Up With The Kardashians. He, or should I say she, has now moved on to a new position in life introducing herself to the whole world as Caitlyn.
I must admit I felt sorry for Bruce after I stumbled upon the Kardashian show. I had no idea who those people were and often questioned why anybody would want to keep up with them. I felt as if that ‘show’ was just that, a show. In fairness I must admit I have not sat through an entire episode because I couldn’t find anything capable of holding my attention or interest, let alone able to stimulate my brain.
My opinion of the show is it had more drama than Barnes and Nobel and Amazon combined. I grew tired of coming across each member of the family being on the cover of a magazine, periodical, tabloid, commercial, etc. Bruce was merely a shadow of a figure in the background of his new family. I respected that he held back from being front and center in the three ring circus many people were trying to keep up with.
It seems as if Bruce may have been feeling a little left out of the limelight, or maybe he longed for the days when his face was plastered everywhere for his Olympic achievements. Regardless, his latest spot being in the center of attention is quite the shocker. Bruce would no longer be eligible to compete in any man’s decathlon competitions, for that matter any man related thing of any sort.
Bruce can now keep up with the Kardashians in just about everything. Move over Kourtney, Kim, Khloe, and Kris there’s a new girl in town. Caitlyn will now join the ranks of having ‘her’ picture taken doing anything from posing cheeky for the camera or simply getting her hair done.
Caitlyn came out in April of this year while being interviewed by Diane Sawyer. Jenner came out as a trans woman, saying she had dealt with gender dysphoria since her youth, and that, “for all intents and purposes, I’m a woman.” Jenner cross dressed for many years and did hormone replacement therapy but stopped after the romance with Kris Kardashian in the early 1990s became more serious.
In June Jenner debuted his new name “Caitlyn” along with the new image that came along with Caitlyn. Having lived with this gender confusion her entire life it is remarkable that once Caitlyn revealed herself it was a mere two month period when she was more than ready to let the world in on her lifelong struggle of being a woman living in a man’s body. Such a quick and bold movement makes one wonder why this coming out had not happened earlier in her confused life.
Perhaps it was kept under wraps because Jenner was in his/her own words had permission to explore her gender identity on her own travels but not when Kris came along and they were seen as a couple. Caitlyn was a good sport and spent twenty-three years in a marriage that for a portion of that time frame people across the nation were trying their hardest to keep up with.
Keeping up with her renowned speed, Caitlyn has wasted no time in spreading the word of her new life. On July 26th an eight part documentary will begin called “I am Cait” detailing her gender transition and coming out publicly as Caitlyn. I am amazed in the speed of the events that have come about.
Being a man, at least in the public’s eye, for sixty-five years, keeping all of that confusion and complex feelings inside, hiding from the public, for all of it to be revealed in its entirety within a three month period. I guess it goes to show that Caitlyn’s former life as an Olympic athlete has managed to cross over and now what she lacks in speed physically she more than makes up for emotionally with her lightening fast coming out.
I am truly happy for Caitlyn for being the person she has always longed to be. I am a firm believer that people need to be themselves regardless of what other people think. Bruce Jenner coming out as his inner woman, Caitlyn has obviously made her a happy woman to finally be at peace with herself.
I must admit however, that Caitlyn’s great debut was written in as part of a two-part Keeping Up with the Kardashians special preparing the kids for Bruce’s new identity is a bit amusing. Was it really necessary to link the coming out of Caitlyn to with Keeping Up with the Kardashians? Couldn’t have Caitlyn done this behind the scenes? Could it be it helped boost ratings all over the place and bring the limelight that was quickly fading back into her life?
I find it to be very sad when a sixty- five year old former Olympian’s decision to come out and reveal he has always been a she deep down inside, gains more attention than other important happenings around the world.
The 20/20 interview had 20.7 million viewers, making it television’s “highest-ever rated newsmagazine telecast among adults 18–49 and adults 25–54”. I find it a bit disturbing that 20.7 million viewers would find a former athlete coming out in the open sharing with the world their life long dream of being a woman has now become a reality.
Has our society gotten to the point where somebody born a man that wishes to be a woman takes precedent over world wide issues of more concern? Caitlyn’s Twitter account received over one million followers in under four hours, setting a new Guinness World Record. Caitlyn’s new world record has actually surpassed President Obama’s record, which took him over four years to accomplish.
Why is anybody’s preference to become the opposite sex even newsworthy to begin with? I can’t begin to wrap my mind around how things of this nature make the headlines and are capable of breaking records no less.
Of course, there are many they say Caitlyn is their hero, coming out and being the woman she has always wanted to be inspires them. Which again I am happy for those that have been inspired by Caitlyn’s courage.
The gigantic elephant in the middle of the room with this particular coming out is the fanfare and television ratings that have come along with it. Call me crazy but I find it quite a coincidence that all of this has transpired so quickly in the public’s eye, gaining magazine, television, media and online coverage by the masses since the decline of that beaten to death show about keeping up with Caitlyn when she was a simple shadow of a man on the show that clearly he/she could not keep up with.
Good luck to one and all that feel the need to become the person you feel you have always been meant to be. Please enjoy your new found self, but please do not expect the parties and parades and the coverage that the newly discovered Caitlyn has received.
Written by Maggie P
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caitlyn_Jenner
