Do you think Bruce Jenner was always supposed to be this week’s People Mag cover? Or do you think People held off on making their cover choice until the very last minute because they were hoping to do a royal baby cover this week? I can’t decide. Bruce Jenner’s story is the kind of human interest story People Magazine loves and Bruce dominated and continues to dominate gossip media, mainstream media and social media. So… maybe the royal baby was never a contender for the cover. Anyway, People recaps part of Bruce’s 20/20 bombshell and some sources talk about Bruce’s current state of mind. Some highlights:

Now, two months after the bombshell Diane Sawyer interview was taped, Bruce Jenner is happily entrenched in his new life as a woman. “He’s relieved,” says a Kardashian source. “He feels like a big weight is off his shoulders.”

And now, Jenner, who excitedly told Sawyer about his plans for a “glam room” at home, is empowered to explore more publicly what for decades he kept private. “He’s so excited about everything female,” says a Jenner insider. “He loves to dress up, he loves wearing high heels, he loves doing his hair.” The insider, who reveals that Jenner has a “full closet” of women’s clothes that he buys online, is finally “looking like the woman he’s always wanted to be.”

Jenner, 65, is also continuing to privately pursue methods of physical changes so his face and body will appear more feminine. Multiple sources confirm that the reality star, who has been taking female hormones for nearly two years, has had several surgeries including breast augmentation, a third nose job and work on his jaw and forehead. As far as full sexual reassignment surgery, Jenner told Sawyer, it’s “down the line.”

For now, Jenner’s female identity will be kept behind closed doors until a public reveal this summer, but the former decathlete often hosts “girl parties” as “her” (his reference to his female identity). “More and more, and certainly in private,” says a source close to the family, “Bruce is living as a woman.”

When he does occasionally step out in public, “he seems confident and relaxed,” says a source. “Recently, he’s left his house with nail polish and lip gloss. He seems more comfortable in his new life.”

[From People]

I can’t imagine the relief of finally – at the age of 65!!! – being able to simply do what you want to do, behave the way you want, dress the way you want and enjoy the things that have always made you happy, things which you’ve kept hidden for decades. More power to Bruce.

I do wonder how Bruce will handle his transition as a public figure/celebrity in the months and years to come though, and by that I mean how the media will treat Bruce and how he will react. Last week, the New York Daily News published blurry photos of Bruce in a dress, and Bruce was reportedly pissed enough to threaten to sue. The NYDN took the photos down online, although they were still in the print issues. What will be the media reaction when Bruce goes out to dinner in a dress and full hair & makeup? There’s still stuff to be worked out within the media, and my hope is that GLAAD continues to offer Pro Tips to media outlets on how to appropriately cover Bruce and his transition.

Cover courtesy of People, screencaps from ABC.