After overcoming early criticism, Caitlyn Jenner’s new show “I Am Cait” proves to be much more than the superficial ratings gold mine once predicted. Unlike much of E!’s programming, Caitlyn is using her experience to educate viewers while highlighting the point that her situation is far from the norm. In the very first episode, Caitlyn briefly touches on the support she has received from fans as well as celebrities (citing both Elton John and Lady Gaga) -- apparently oblivious to the real lives of less privileged trans people. Later, with the help of professor Jenny Boylan, Jenner, along with the audience, comes to terms with that privilege.
In terms of educating the audience, perhaps the series’ biggest fault is also its greatest strength: its lead’s privileged life. Caitlyn, an Olympic athlete and father in the notorious Kardashian family, had not had the experience of an average trans woman in America. The “I Am Cait” producers rarely let that go unmentioned, including footage where Caitlyn talks about her conservative values or scenes showing her unaware of the work of the Human Rights Campaign. However, to many, her ignorance is relatable. The audience experiences the trans community through Caitlyn, whose life, like theirs, has kept her far removed from the realities of her new friends. Using Jenner as a vessel for a cis public, the show’s target audience mirrors her shock when she learns a friend/trans woman had been a sex worker in order to afford her transition, even as the other women assure Caitlyn that sex work is not always unimaginable for the many young trans women from less privilege.
Of course, because of the nature of the Kardashian/Jenner family fame, “I Am Cait” does show Caitlyn unapologetically indulging in expensive clothes and an extensive beauty regimen. However, unlike the past Kardashian television shows, the show confronts its privilege as each episode takes time to recognize the discrimination and violence faced by the trans community, particularly trans women of color. The Kardashian/Jenner lead exists outside the traditional trans experience, but does not remain unaffected by it. During a getaway to San Francisco, Jenner and her motley crew of new friends have a discussion with a group of young trans women who shock Jenner again as they share their experiences. One young woman in particular, Blossom, describes the discrimination she faces as a student in the South looking to go into nursing, while another remembers a time when she was physically attacked during an encounter she had as a sex worker.
The privileged Caitlyn Jenner is not the traditional hero, but she is nothing like an antihero. “I Am Cait” portrays Caitlyn as flawed, but still eager to learn and excited to get involved in the community that comes along with this newly acknowledged aspect of her identity. Ultimately, “I Am Cait” is much more than another Kardashian spin-off purely for entertainment, instead, it invites its audience to grow along with Caitlyn.
