I’m still watching I Am Cait, even though I’m one of the few in an increasingly dwindling audience. IAC’s audience dropped by more than 50% for the second episode, and I would imagine that last night’s episode also had somewhat terrible ratings because nothing major really happened. I’m sort of astonished by how quickly the show has fallen into the Keeping Up with the Kardashians structure of reality TV. While there are some “real moments” – especially when Cait is in group settings – much of the on-screen drama does feel scripted and manufactured at this point. I’m not saying Caitlyn’s journey isn’t real – it’s very real. I’m just saying IAC’s producers are like “okay, we need some kind of resolution with this storyline, so send in this woman to talk to Cait about XYZ.”
As for the unscripted moments… Caitlyn is very emotional these days. She really does cry at the drop of a hat and while last week’s episode focused on Cait’s privilege, this week’s episode had some surprising moments where Cait’s group of trans women friends actually felt truly sorry for her. They were reminded of just how difficult it is for Cait to transition publicly, in the spotlight, and make her big debut at the ESPYs. Caitlyn really just broke down at the very thought of standing in front of her athlete peers as a woman.
There was also a group discussion about transitioning and sexuality and which women (in Caitlyn’s new group of trans women friends) were attracted to men, which women were attracted to women and whether any of it really matters. Caitlyn first says she’s only really been attracted to women (as Bruce) and she’s only been with women. Then during the larger discussion, Caitlyn says she “appreciates the male form” and she’s open to dating a man, but only after she “has the right parts.” It also feels like Caitlyn isn’t really thinking about dating right now… even if she legitimately has a crush on Candis Cayne, but seriously, who doesn’t? Caitlyn declares, “I’ve got bigger things to worry about than an orgasm.”
Photos courtesy of E!, Instagram.
And water is wet.
This stinks, to me.
Just the fact that she gives us bits and pieces, makes this fishy. How come a couple of months ago she swore she was completely straight, interested only in women, and that that wouldn’t change, and now all of a sudden “she admires the male form”? What does that mean?
IMO she should just admit she was always BI, even if she kept it closeted, now is the time to be honest about it, and not go all “I don’t know maybe I could try” etc etc.
This is one of the reasons I don’t really watch it. I can’t buy whatever she’s selling.
Yeah I mean how does she not know who she is attracted to? I thought Cait was “finally free”…why not just admit it if you like men or both men and women? Who cares ? Maybe that will be where this season ends and it will be a teaser for next season (though I doubt this show will make it past one season).
Yeah @word, I don’t understand how she can be attracted to women the whole 65 years, and categorically state that her sex change wouldn’t change that, and suddenly find herself attracted to men as well? Does being a transexual mean that your sexuality also does a 180? I can understand that this can be extremely confusing, but sexual preferences are pretty straight forward when we become adults, even if we keep it under wraps. This doesn’t just pop up in the middle of nowhere…
From what I’ve read, it does happen that post-transition some people find themselves experiencing new attractions. In this case, it would follow the pattern of liking the male attention she receives as a woman, and becoming open to exploring that.
There’s also a theory out there, fairly controversial, that this type of transitioner–that is, older male–in fact is drawn to transitioning because they are turned on sexually by the image of themselves as women. TBH I find it a compelling theory, but it got a lot of pushback from the very group it was describing, I guess because it seems perverted or something. Eh, no more than anything else, I say.
Side effect of modifying her hormones maybe?
Well, you’re a cis person and have never had to consider how your attractions may change as your gender identification changes.
What a lot of straight people or cis gendered people don’t understand is- if you’re having issues with your own sexuality or gender there’s a lot of stuff you push so far down in the back of your consciousness that you just don’t think about stuff. You may go an entire lifetime in denial- because facing it means you have to accept it as being a part of you. And you might just want to be “normal” or like everyone else.
Bruce went 60 odd years trying to keep up a facade. A part of that is rigorous policing of one’s thoughts and desires. Now that Bruce is Cait- well, Cait gets to think about and experience things Bruce could not.
Maybe…? Interesting, thanks, @Celebwatch . It does make it seem plausible but Since it’s in a scripted tv show I don’t know… we’ll see how this goes.
It’s like this family has a schedule in place with ‘controversial’ moments, just so they can maintain the deals, etc.
Pretty peach dress. I have no interest in watching the show. I hope she’s happy now, and I mean that sincerely, but these reality shows just don’t interest me, and hers is no exception.
Agreed
I didn’t catch the first two episodes, but I did watch last night and I was soooo bored. It felt way too scripted. And I felt really bad for Caitlyn’s friend/personal assistant? I know Cait apologized for basically ignoring her, but it didn’t feel sincere at all. I think the reason why this show has poor ratings is because Cait is pretty boring. She doesn’t have much of a personality, and I don’t know if that’s because she has bigger issues like transitioning, but she has nothing to offer for a lead role in a show.
That part regarding Cait’s “personal assistant” seemed really scripted. The personal assistant is their neighbour in Calabassas and a really good friend of Kris Jenner’s. I’m not sure if her and Kris had a falling out but I really don’t believe anything on this show either…it’s almost as scripted as KUWTK.
The lady who is Cait’s personal assistant said that she had been with him for 2 years, taking him to Dr appointments, rushing him to the hospital, etc. This person was also seen attending a concert with Bruce and at that time was named as a close friend of Kris. Speculation at that time was that Bruce and Rhonda (sp) were dating. Now, if she was a friend of Kris, and working as Bruce/Cait’s personal assistant, how can Kris claim that she had no idea that Bruce was transgender. This is all so contrived.
Why did Caitlyn call her attraction to women “heterosexuality” when her true self is a women? (Referring to Diane Sawyer interview.) Does she have an aversion to identifying herself as homosexual? Wouldn’t that be something worked out with a therapist before transitioning? I don’t understand — please educate me!
I don’t know. She is hanging on to her crucial male parts for now, for what reason also don’t know. It must be hard to completely abandon the body that has brought this far (I imagine?). I really don’t understand how this all works either. Is she really going to be happy now?
she does seem to have an aversion to using certain self Identifying terms which I don’t know if it’s out of an abundance of being deferential to her family/ or being private or still finding where she falls in ( I also have heard Female Hormones do interfere with your preferences/sexual desire etc)
I think she is attracted to women. She is throwing the I might date a man thing out there for ratings and “Big” moments of self realization.
I am starting to think Bruce may have been happy to keep his dressing in women’s clothes secret, playing golf, and flying his model planes. This could be just for a payday and exposure at this point.
Is a trans gender woman who likes woman considered a lesbian? Is a trans gender man who likes men considered gay? How does this work? One of Cait’s transgender woman friends claimed on last night’s show that she only liked women.
So desperate for attention
+1 She is overexposed. Go live your life. You’re finally free to be who you are. Stop this “reality” crap.
What C. said. Precisely.
That’s the ironic part. Caitlyn is finally “free” to be who she really wants to be but now she’s on a scripted reality show living a scripted life lol ! Rented Lambo and all ! The part in last night’s episode that really had me rolling my eyes is when she said that the vacation was over and “back to reality” for her…then they show her getting onto a private jet and flying back to her Malibu home that’s worth millions…where she will sit around all day…or shop…or try new hairstyles. Cait your “reality” is someone else’s fantasy !
I feel like Cait is experiencing a lot of pressure that cis women face now. she is expected to look a certain way and act a certain way and that includes being heterosexual because being homosexual isnt really universally accepted. I don’t think cait is straight I think she’s a lesbian, but feels pressured to at least act as if she could be attracted to men because that’s largely what is expected of women.
Apparently a lot of people who are transgender experience a shift in their sexual orientation after they transition. Coming out as transgender, only to shove your sexuality into the closet, how strange would that be… But yeah, who knows.
To be honest, some of the other trans women were more interesting than Caitlyn. I wanted to hear more from them
Some of the other women were fascinating! If only we got to learn their stories.
Me too.
Totally agree. I’m not great with names so please forgive me, but one of the women I found really interesting is a college professor and did a lot during episode 2 to educate Cait and help her along. What was most striking to me was that Caitlyn totally glossed over this woman trying to talk to her at one point and gave her a bunch of sh–t about her outfit and made the woman try on some of her clothes and get her hair and makeup done. She did the same thing to her mom and sisters when they came to visit. I hope it’s true that Caitlyn’s vanity is all part of a “second puberty” that trans people tend to go through when they come out, because Cait is incredibly vain and she gives off this vibe of “I’m a woman now, so everyone around me has to be as fabulous and glamorous as I am.” It reeks of the Kardashians and it is incredibly unappealing.
I’d like to see a show with just them minus Caitlyn.
Yeah, I mean at 65 she’s not dead, but I get it… sex is not the first thing on her mind at this juncture.
Although I support her on her journey, I’m not at all surprised that this has turned into something Kartrashian-like. Those people contaminate everything, and since Cait has been around them for years, I’m not shocked the she hasn’t picked up a few tricks along the way.
“I’m sort of astonished by how quickly the show has fallen into the Keeping Up with the Kardashians structure of reality TV. While there are some “real moments” – especially when Cait is in group settings – much of the on-screen drama does feel scripted and manufactured at this point. ”
Exactly what I was thinking, I feel like they pulled a bait & switch. The first episode was surprisingly interesting and relatively unscripted. Second episode, not too bad, but had a couple clearly scripted moments. Episode three seemed majorly scripted, and about as thrilling and deep as a KUWTK episode. From the looks of the preview, ep. 4 looks even worse! How dissapointing.
+1 and I’m done watching because of that. I thought episode 2 was horribly scripted and when I began reading stories all over the place that Caitlyn herself was telling media outlets that she’s into women and only says she’s open to dating men on the show, I was done. They could’ve done something great here, but they chose to be fame-whores instead. I hope the ratings tank.
I was a big supporter of Caitlyn’s and had high hopes but I’m off the bandwagon. I also stopped watching the show after watching episode 2 and noticing how incredibly contrived the whole thing was. It’s clearly a very scripted show, and I totally see what all of the detractors meant when they said Cait is a fame-whore. Much of the 2nd episode was spent trying to allude to a romance between Cait and her friend Candise Cayne. Now the 3rd episode was supposed to surround Cait’s potential sexual proclivities, but other media outlets have been reporting since before the episode even aired that Caitlyn is telling people and other outlets that she is only into women and the claim that she is open to being with men was only for the show.
I still believe Cait’s coming out has had it’s benefits, but she is very much Kardashian-esque in her quest to find herself as a woman (especially her emphasis on looks), and her thirst for fame and attention.
I actually found her to be somewhat less vapid and clueless on last night’s episode. The previous episode I found Caitlyn’s ignorance cringe inducing. I do think she is trying.
Other than that I found her boring. Also her friend Ronda is a whiny cry baby, IMO. She is clearly on pay roll now. So yeah, you’re a friend but you are also doing a job. Let Caitlyn have fun with her new trans friends and get your knickers out of a knot!!
This may mean Jenner was bisexual all along. I don’t think humans consciously alter their sexuality after a gender change.
What’s the delay in getting the final operation for a full transition? Has this been addressed at all in the show? I refuse to watch because I am convinced this is one long con to get attention. That’s what makes me most suspicious about the delay in getting the final “snip snip”….
I’m not defending Caitlyn because frankly she’s not my cup of tea. However all trans men and women don’t get the surgery. Lavern Cox still hasn’t had the operation. Are you suspicious of her too?
I have no opinion on Laverne Cox or any other transgendered person. I’m merely suspicious of a Kardashian/E!Network/scripted “reality” show. If they are going to do this to expose America to the trans life, I would think this would be a topic they’d cover. I think its one of the first things most people wonder about. And the difference in answers about sexual attraction from the Sawyer interview to the reality show seems…..suspicious.
Well for starters it’s not a thing you just rush out and do. It’s a fairly major and complicated surgery, and outcomes vary. Jenner is 65, which adds some extra complications into the mix. The risk vs. reward ratio probably isn’t in her favour, even with the best doctors in the world.
Many trans people never have the full surgery. Frankly it’s not yet a perfected art, most people who do have surgery have some issues, if not at first then as the age and skin elasticity weakens. Some trans people hate their genitalia, but a lot don’t really care. They’d have surgery in a perfect world, but in this world the risk vs.reward ratio doesn’t stack up for them. For MtF, orchiectomy’s are a popular as it greatly lessens the amount of hormones needed.
this
I don’t know about Caitlyn. I wish she would step back and adjust to her new life in private. I read some of what she said about homeless people and it was just…not good. People have different opinions, of course, but considering who Caitlyn is, and where she’s coming from, her attitude just reeks of entitlement and lack empathy.
http://www.counterpunch.org/2015/08/05/the-fake-courage-of-caitlyn-jenner/
Dam! I feel like I need a Caitlyn Jenner for Dummies book because I am getting very confused.
It has become such a circus that I need a concept map.
Well, I’m one of the people watching the show- and actually paying for it via itunes. I like Cait more and more. It’s thrilling seeing someone grow and change and learn and try to learn.
So Cait may be open to dating a guy now- it DOES happen. I’ve known formerly straight men who have transitioned to women who ended up dating men. Things just change when YOU change. I know it’s hard for some people to understand- and a lot of people don’t WANT to understand. There’s a lot of bitchyness from people about fluidity. They’re like “make up your mind” and there’s a lot of pressure for everything to be set in stone- or to make sense to other people. Life ain’t that simple.
Cait talked about being an ‘isolationist’ in the first episode- as Bruce she kind of just backed away from interpersonal interactions because of the discomfort of not living as who she really was. I totally get that. I’m not 100% out at work, or with certain members of my family and it’s true, I just back away from them because I’m afraid of being myself in front of them-and I’m 42 and have known I was gay since I was 3.
But there’s people like my Dad who is a raging, violent homophobe and my Grandmother (who was in concentration camps but blames the holocaust on Jews and gays) that would never, ever accept me for who I am….so they don’t get the real me. I get why Bruce was a distant father; I’m a distant son.
I’m sure you’re a great person and those who are close are lucky to have you.
Some people are just too good for the family they were born in, it can happen with anything, and not just sexual orientation.
You matter, ignorant people’s opinions don’t.
That’s a lovely thing to say, Aren; YOU’RE obviously a great person and those close to you- and even complete strangers like me- are lucky to have you, too.
wowwww shocker! seen this coming a mile away ! totally gay!
I think Caitlin REALLY wants to make this transition as easy as possible for everyone in her family, including Kris. Part of that was trying to reiterate that she DIDNT waste 20+ years of Kris’s life and never loved her or was attracted to her. I can’t say for sure, but it seems like she is now being more open about maybe being into men. I never really understood her strong desire to not only look feminine, but to look sexualized in the way that typically pleases straight men (if she doesn’t want male sexual attention.)
Instead of dumping “I’m trans” and “I’m into men!” into families lap all in one day, she is spreading it out. I personally think that just drags on the confusion and hurt and sense of betrayal, but its her life and her choices.
FAKE!! I guess this was suppose to be big draw of this episode… Nope try again.
I personally don’t care who she crawls in the sack with. Just cancel this show, it’s boring yet it’s scripted how sad.
Boooooriiiiing.