One of the fashion industry’s most high profile transgender models, and previous i-D cover star, Andreja Pejic, has showed her support for Caitlyn on both Good Morning America and CNN. Having transitioned herself at 14, and revealing that she underwent sex-reassignment surgery early last year, changing her name from Andrej to Andreja, the 23-year-old knows exactly what it’s like to undergo such a life-changing process in the spotlight. When asked on CNN what advice she would pass on to Caitlyn, she said; “It’s definitely not an easy situation for someone to find themselves in. I definitely know what it’s like to transition publicly. You have to worry about not just your family’s acceptance, but the public reaction. I would just say, keep your head grounded as much as possible, keep great people around you and try and stay sane.”
The weightiest part however, is perhaps when Andreja was joined by Dr Jennifer Ashton on GMA to discuss the total lack of medical training when it comes to transgender men and women, “I think in many ways, medicine is still in the dark ages with treating transgender patients. Recent studies have shown there’s tremendous bias and discrimination and even harassment, and some of that, shockingly, comes from within the medical community. There’s hardly any training. I trained in New York city nearly 15 years ago and I never saw a transgender patient. Most doctors never treated a transgender patient.” Andreja only confirmed suspicions by saying, “I personally, often, would rather go online than go to a doctor for medical information, because you have to explain. They think suddenly that you’re not a human being.”
With Caitlyn’s cover of Vanity Fair and Andreja becoming the first transgender model to sign a major cosmetics contract with Make Up For Ever, it’s time for change.
In other Caitlyn news…
The Kardashian Klan have admitted to being fans of the show Transparent, about a father who comes out to his four children about his decision to live as a woman, and now one member may be getting more actively involved… Caitlyn Jenner is planning a visit to the show’s LA set and may even appear in an episode of the Amazon series. The show’s creator Jill Soloway told Variety, “I don’t know if she’d want to act, but we definitely want to incorporate the fact that she came out into this season. Just to have that base conversation somewhere in a scene, for sure.”
More Caitlyn news…
The Daily Show host Jon Stewart has called out the media’s immediate focus on Caitlyn Jenner’s looks, saying “Caitlyn, when you were a man, we could talk about your athleticism, your business acumen. But now you’re a woman, which means your looks are really the only thing we care about. Which brings us to phase two of your transition: your ‘comparative fuckability’.” In his compilation of news clips, one reporter asks what is clearly the most important question: “does she have a better body than Kim Kardashian?” while others compare her to Jessica Lange and ponder whether she’s better looking than Kris Jenner.
What’s with all the comparing looks guys?! Firstly why did she immediately fall into what is obviously the media’s narrow view of women as sexual objects, and secondly, aren’t we missing the whole point of why Caitlyn Jenner is on the cover of Vanity Fair in the first place?
Stewart goes on to joke sarcastically, “Look, we want to give a woman a compliment here, we just need to make sure another woman gets taken down a peg in the process,” and rips whoever said she’s lookin’ good – “for her age.” Yes, you’re a woman; you have an expiration date. When you’re no longer better looking than your ex-wife and your body withers into a fraction of your step-daughter’s, then you can look forward to living out the rest of your years in peace and quiet because no one will want you anymore.
The reaction to Caitlyn Jenner’s coming out has been massively positive, but there is clearly a long way to go before we reach gender equality. As Laverne Cox wrote in her blog post, “There’s the glamorous part of being trans, then there’s the reality, which is the trans movement is just starting. It’s still unsafe for trans people to use bathrooms. It’s just beginning and there are miles to go on this life’s journey so hopefully (Jenner will) get to be a part of the community and I know she will be because she will be an activist for change.”