The Media Image Of Women - 1129 Words

Over the past couple of months, there has been debate over the Caitlyn Jenner story, a media icon that has recently transitioned from being male to female. Although she is, in fact, the most famous trans person of our time, the media’s portrayal of her as a naturally glamorous trans woman, distorts the image of what it actually is like to be transgender. The trans community have expressed their opinion on the topic stating Jenner is not an accurate example of the lifestyle experienced by most trans women. The National LGBTQ Task Force states that transgender people are twice as likely to be unemployed and four times more likely to live in poverty compared to the general population and even more so for trans women of colour. While†¦show more content†¦Not every woman, trans or not, has access to the kind of plastic surgery procedures or glamorous lifestyle afforded Jenner. The term â€Å"the personal is political† was an important argument used by the second w ave feminists in the late 1960s. It was brought to attention that although our personal lives have a historical and cultural location, they also have a political dimension and are gendered. Most people would consider transitioning from a male to a female as a very personal decision. However in the case of Caitlyn Jenner that was entirely to the contrary, her high profile and wealth have created political impact and her image creates an unrealistic and, for most people, unattainable image of what it means to be transgender or even female. Her status in the media has deflected our attention from the alarming amount of discrimination the trans community and women face regularly. Lee describes â€Å"the personal is political,† as â€Å"...gender plays a role at every level of expectation, action and conflict...If gender influences the formation of ideas...to our concepts of the real, the rational, the ethical, and the beautiful, then it cannot fail to be central to the ways in w hich those ideas have informed our present attitudes and values.† (p. 6) How we understand institutions like the military, families and the economy is shaped by our values, privilege and gender. Personal choices reveal economic