It’s been a little while since Caitlyn Jenner officially came out, which sparked tons of media coverage that may have gotten a little overwhelming for some. Among numerous responses—many of them LGBTQ+ positive—was Jon Stewart’s response saying, “It’s really heartening to see that everyone is willing to not only accept Caitlyn Jenner as a woman, but to waste no time in treating her like a woman.” Here he is referring to the shift of intellectual to body-focused conversation regarding her. This may lead us to ask, was Caitlyn’s Vanity Fair photo shoot good or bad for feminism?
At first glance, we hear the body-focused media coverage alongside the pictures, leading us to believe that it is because Caitlyn is drawing attention to her body that she is spoken of in terms of the physical rather than mental, thus objectifying her.
A call to celebrate your womanly body, no matter what body type you are, is a recent trend created to counter the “perfection” message that girls have been hearing from an early age. A photo shoot is just one way to feel good in your own skin. For us common women, this might just be posting our “#ootd”—outfit of the day—to Instagram, though for a celebrity it could mean Vanity Fair.
Some may say that wearing tighter clothing is the reason for objectification, and thus by choosing such clothes, the woman is to blame for an objectification that rolls her way. However, ask any girl you know if she’s ever been catcalled in average clothes and you’re more than likely to get “yes” for an answer. A woman is objectified no matter what she wears, so she cannot be blamed for comments made to her regardless of what she’s wearing—or lack thereof.
Thus, as far as objectification goes, Caitlyn’s Vanity Fair photo shoot does not hinder feminism but rather advocates for confidence in who you are, pride in your accomplishments and loving your own body. Now being a woman, Caitlyn will be treated differently than before, but her story gives another voice to gender inequality and another push in a socially progressive direction.
