The cover of Vanity Fair magazine with Bruce, now Caitlyn, Jenner, smiling, sporting a come hither haircut and a small waistline, is all vanity and man-made glamour, words that continue to haunt the image of women.
Caitlyn Jenner may offer new hope for young lives struggling with gender issues, but a swimsuit pinup magazine cover amps up the pressure. No matter, male or female at birth, once a member of the fairer sex, an admiring eye tends to follow those who are, well, fairer!
Suddenly, each phone aimed in her direction includes a camera and every gray hair on her head is a flaw. She writes she is considering Botox injections to get rid of frown lines. At the same time she is preaching inner beauty to her daughters and reminding them who they are matters more than how they look, she is pondering Spanx as under-armor to smooth out a waistline with more than an inch to pinch!
Though in our most grown-up moments, we know faithfulness and talent trump toned and tanned Victoria’s Secret beauties with legs up to yonder, we are drawn to how women look. This year, for the first time, designers from the fashion world offered evening gowns to actors presenting Tony Awards.
Gifted performances on the Broadway stage are what count, but, if a television audience is to tune in and be attentive, viewers want to be surprised by sequins and satin, the drama as lace trails a form-fitting dress.
So, we are of two minds. We enjoy beauty, women as “eye candy,” but, hopefully, we also want to see them applauded for their unique gifts, for leadership and research, for empathy and brain power. The hang up is we have an urge to step back when we see them as too powerful.
Bryce Covert, who is the economic policy editor at ThinkProgress, filled an opinion column with views and statistics on the frustrating role of women who do get a chance at CEO roles in companies today, though, too often, only when they are pushed off “the glass cliff,” expected to magically cure corporate ills in a time of turmoil.
He reminds us Congress is less than 20 percent female and it’s been nearly a century since the first woman was elected to the House of Representatives. Should we agree it is more tempting to peg a woman, sure of her convictions, as “a politician,” (read: Sen. Elizabeth Warren), than it is to pin that put-down tag on a man?
Is there the sure knowledge the path for women leading to the highest office in the land will be easier this time? Hillary Clinton and Carly Fiorina, both candidates for president, are running as part of a procession of others who marched, protested and finally bent history in their direction.
Caitlyn Jenner may have a reality show, be paid a lot of money, pose for magazine covers and grant interviews, but to make a difference in today’s world as a woman, she’ll need more than plastic surgery and bikini waxes.
A woman needs courage to break the mold, finding her inner and true voice. But, at some point in her life, God willing, there will be that moment of truth, when, even with cheekbones that could cut glass, she looks across a table at a husband, partner or king of the workplace and says: “Take me seriously. I am more than a pretty face.”
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