Jon Stewart Skewers Media for Caitlyn Jenner Coverage Sexism
Too true, Jon Stewart, too true. "The Daily Show" host addressed the media's overwhelmingly positive response to Bruce Jenner's transition to Caitlyn Jenner, but pointed out the irony of the reactions to her new Vanity Fair photos.
Here's Jon's take:
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."
Cue clips of reporters going on about Caitlyn's beauty, and how she looks like a movie star. Jon continued:
You see, Caitlyn, when you were a man we could talk about your athleticism, your business acumen. Now you're a woman, and your looks are the only thing we care about. Which brings us to phase two of your transition: your 'comparative f-ckability.'"
Cue more clips of reporters comparing Caitlyn to other women, asking if she's hotter than, say, Kris Jenner or Kim Kardashian. Jon added:
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. It's how we maintain the balance. Well we're almost all the way there. Let's complete the transition..."
Cue a male reporter saying "She looks great, especially for her age." Here's Jon's reaction:
There you go! Wow! That's the caveat we were missing: Remind her she has an expiration date now. You came out at 65, you have another two years before you become invisible in society, better make the most of 'em."
To top it off, Jon threw in some "slut-shaming" clips with reporters commenting on Caitlyn's cover outfit and questioning whether she's really that hot without makeup and Photoshop.
It's sad, but there's almost no way to win. Good for most of the media for accepting Caitlyn as she is, but it's like a knee-jerk reaction to immediately focus on a woman's appearance -- even as a compliment -- and further gauge a woman's worth based on her age, perceived beauty, and "bang" potential. No one really talked about Bruce Jenner as hot-or-not before he started transitioning, everyone just wondered what the heck he was doing in the Kardashian family.
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