Polly Vernon on Caitlyn Jenner's Vanity Fair cover...
So the 65 year old television personality formerly known as Bruce Jenner - mild mannered male accouterment to a sprawling celebrity clan - re-emerges as a really rather beautiful woman called Caitlyn, on the cover of* Vanity Fair*… And pretty much everyone, everywhere catches their breath.
The grand reveal of Caitlyn represents an extraordinary collision of worlds and issues. It’s the latest twist in a narrative arc which has seen Jenner progress from sports mega star – 1976 Olympic gold decathlete, no less - to side-story in the defining celebrity mechanism of our times, to this, international poster woman for the trans community. It is also the only time in the history of the KUWTK, that anyone has ever overshadowed Kim.
That Vanity Fair chose to celebrate Jenner’s rebirth lends it a credibility it might otherwise have lacked. Anyone wondering whether this transition might veer into the territory of celebrity spectacle, can be reassured by VF’s endorsement.
The magazine is renowned for a more heavy weight approach, its interest alone is an indication that Caitlyn’s story has a cultural significance that reaches well beyond the boundaries of reality TV plot. Plus it’s hard to read Jenner explain in the accompanying interview : ‘Bruce always had to tell a lie… Caitlyn doesn’t have any secrets… I’m free…’ without feeling moved, and as if this can only be a very good thing for anyone struggling with their own gender identity.