Why are people complaining about Caitlyn Jenner's appearance?

[AZ Progressive]

Ok, I get the whole political issues behind the complaints, including conflicts with feminist ideals. But seriously, consider this:

Caitlyn Jenner has only until recently been living life as a woman. She never got to be a young girl and enjoy being a young girl, she never got to be a teenage girl and enjoy all of that at that age, being a young women, being a mother, etc... Plus, she got to see other women enjoy being themselves over years, decades, while being stuck without being who she really was. She is missing 65 years of what she would have lived and enjoyed as a woman if she was born a regular female.

Whatever Caitlyn Jenner is getting now is small compared to what she lost. All you women here, especially the feminine ones, imagine if you had to live 65 years of your life forced to be a guy, including being unfeminine. I read a story of a tomboy lesbian woman who experimented living as a man for a book she was doing, she couldn't stand it after a year (she ended up going to the mental hospital.)

Why should it be unfair that Caitlyn Jenner is trying to roll the clock somewhat to make up for lost time? Why does she have to see herself as 65 rather than 45 or so, given all the time that she has lost in her life being the real her?

Does she have to think about what everyone else thinks about her, rather than trying to get some of that experience of being a woman back that she lost in life?

And as far as I've seen, there are quite a bit of girls and women that enjoy being pretty, attractive, and even sexy. Is that wrong? Caitlyn's appearance on the front cover of Vanity Fair is hardly revealing compared to the provocative things that other women do nowadays to look sexy.

[AZ Progressive]

1. Also, about the tomboy lesbian woman that I mentioned that lived for a year as a man, and...

eventually couldn't stand it, to the point of being temporarily institutionalized:

[hlthe2b]

2. I think you miss the point, though I appreciate your pov...

I think the concern (not really so much criticism from what I've seen) reflects the PRESSURE that society exerts on women to conform to a certain standard. Perhaps Caitlyn is feeling this pressure and responding to it (as might be expected given the Kardashian universe and all that entails) or may be, as you say, simply expressing a voluntary demonstration of her own views of femininity. She should certainly be "HER" and not someone else's idea of what she should be.

Still, I think the bigger picture underlying the concerns is that if Caitlyn did not try to appeal to that feminine ideal and specifically a young attractive feminine ideal, there is room to wonder the response. In our society, a beautiful woman is not ignored nor so harshly judged; conversely a less attractive and aging (gasp) woman is frequently ignored and more harshly judged. Had Caitlyn not made her appearance as a youthful, glamorous female the priority, would she be receiving the same level and type of attention?

[Cleita]

4. It appears the standards that women are being pressured to on this

so-called progressive website is to wear no make up and baggy flour sacks so your "inner beauty" should shine through. God forbid you might want to look good.

It's a good thing no one can see me because I'm sure my colored hair, makeup, and pedicured nails in my high heeled sandals would send waves of shock through the community. Oh and no one is pressuring me. I like to look my best and if I could afford it I would go the whole way to cosmetic surgery, Botox and anything else out there.

Pressure works both ways. No one is making me want to to those things to look good, but I feel I am being pressured to look like a dowdy old frump on this board by, gasp, other women!

[hlthe2b]

6. That is not what I am saying nor what I said... at all.

Back to ignore, Cleita.. your disingenuousness and broad brush smears of other DUers is contemptible.

[Cleita]

7. Good. Seems like when I strike at the truth, you can't handle it. eom

[prayin4rain]

8. Agreed.

I'm a girly-girl and never felt shamed by anything that I've read on DU.

[Cleita]

3. IMHO those "feminists" who criticize other women who care enough about

their appearance by use of cosmetics or even anything as drastic as surgery are not very supportive of their fellow women. Contrary to the claims that women are under pressure to makes themselves pretty for men, the truth is I have found out that women decorate and dress themselves to feel good about themselves and for the admiration of other women. Many other women, comfortable in their own skins, do not. But for other women to praise one and criticize the other is not what a real feminist would do.

[WinkyDink]

5. CJ is Hollywood. We should expect and accept that Hollywood will be her fashion milieu.

[Cleita]

9. Also, before Bruce became Caitlyn and was going through his transformation, there were

criticisms all over the internet of how awful he looked. Now that she looks good, she's getting criticism. Can Jenner not win?