I know I am going to get flak about this but I have to say it. Scrolling through my Facebook feed, I came across this picture of Caitlyn Jenner on the cover of Vanity Fair:
I really don't give a shit about a man becoming a woman or vice versa, I figure all the power to them, go for it. Your life. My one single opinion about people who endure this struggle is that they should be left to live their lives as they see fit. We all want our freedom to live our lives, who are we to decide how anyone else lives theirs? If someone told you how to live your life, you'd hopefully tell them to go to hell and go on your merry way. Fair enough?
My problem with this cover is that Caitlyn Jenner wants to be accepted for WHO SHE REALLY IS. Also fair enough. I get that, it's been a long struggle and you want to show the world where your journey has taken you. I get it. I write a blog about my opinions and feelings after all. Bruce Jenner's story, the one that has been fed to us over and over, is that he was dying inside every day because he was living a lie and now, as Caitlyn Jenner, she is complete and happy. I think that's fantastic. What an inspiring story to other people out there who struggle with their identity. However, that is where my admiration ends because this photoshopped, skin smoothed, highlights added, tons of people working on her hair, make-up, and wardrobe and photographers at the digital ready to fix any flaw that might exist pisses all over her story and her journey.
Her story is about being real and true to herself and yet, her first public picture as a full-out woman is just a fake misrepresentation of what she really looks like. It's as fake as any of those other pictures you see in magazines, the same ones that we complain about because they create unfair beauty aspirations to our youth and to ourselves. Those pictures that make you feel like you will never be pretty enough, your hair smooth enough, your skin flawless enough, your eyebrows arched enough, your make-up smudge-free enough, your body skinny enough, oh yes, I could go on in this vein forever. You can google "body dysmorphia disorder caused by media" and get 213,000 results in 0.53 seconds (yes, I just checked that). We agree pretty whole-heartedly that models in photoshopped photos being shoved down our throats at an alarming rate is mentally unhealthy for a vast majority of people. Don't even get me started on how all those perfectly chiselled male models make the regular Joe feel. He may not admit it, but it pisses him off too.
So it actually makes me sad that Caitlyn Jenner is hiding behind this photoshopped image of herself. Because it's still living a lie, isn't it? I'd rather see the original untouched photo of Caitlyn Jenner and celebrate that instead.
-Megs
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