Bruce, “just call me Caitlyn,” Jenner is now said to be on his, sorry her, way to earning millions. It is hard to make the transition, or to adjust the mindset, to refer to Jenner as a her since, in public at least, Caitlyn has been a bloke until recently. Here is where the combination of capriciousness, Caitlyn and celebrity become apparent. Jenner is a Hollywood denizen with a lot of longevity and this, even more than her association with the avaricious and classless Kardashians, is what gives her the ability to make this change so late in life and, more importantly, get away with it in an air of support unheard of in recent years. None of this positive pat-on-the-back “atta girl” attitude would be so forthcoming if Caitlyn was the girl who lived across the street from Anywhere, USA.
It is amusing to note the way that Jenner has chosen to spell her “new” name. Caitlyn. It is so apropo of the Kiss Kiss Bang Bang line spoken by Robert Downey Jr. character Harry Lockhart, paraphrased, “Hollywood…where if a girl’s name is Jill, she spells Jyll…” Again to harp on the capriciousness of celebrity, just head on over to IMDb and type in “Bruce Jenner.” Caitlyn’s page pops up, unfortunately with Bruce’s picture and in the category of “self” credits, all say “himself” which, could be considered correct since back in the early days she was a he.
This is not to ruminate about the change of a he into a she, because in reality, Bruce has always been Caitlyn, even before going public and setting the wheels in motion to become the woman she has always been, it is about how celebrity makes the move more acceptable. Certainly there are those who not only disagree with Caitlyn’s actions but have made fun of the woman.
Snoop Dog called Jenner a “science project.” Jon Snow, went on record as making fun, not of Caitlyn, but of media outlets and publications who immediately focused on how the woman looks. Considering Jenner is 65 years old, she looks quite presentable. Of course this is the mid-sixties look of a former athlete and one who can afford the best beauty treatments on the market.
Overall, however, there has been widespread support for Bruce’s metamorphosis into Caitlyn. He is still mid-journey though, with more surgery in store. The LGBT community are singing the woman’s praises and ready to trounce anyone who dares to say a disparaging word about the whole thing. In reality the only person who should care about the “right or wrong” of Caitlyn’s transformation is, as her mum says, Caitlyn.
In The Washington Post, Jenner’s mother is quoted as saying that she wants her kid to just be happy. Quite right. According to the former Olympian gold medal athlete, that is not an emotion that figured too largely in her life. Living a lie is not conducive to happiness and peace of mind. Caitlyn can probably tell Forbes that the projected millions headed her way will not necessarily make her any happier.
Unless, of course, it enables her to afford expensive beauty treatment, makeup and continued celebrity. As it stands now, the capricious stance of the public is behind Caitlyn so perhaps her money should go toward buying continued loyalty from her fans.