Caitlyn Jenner has been named Glamour’s 2015 Woman of the Year, alongside Reese Witherspoon. While Reese Witherspoon has empowering things this year, from diverting sexist questions on the red carpet to receiving an Oscar nod for best supporting actress, questions have been raised about what exactly Jenner has done to earn this prestigious title.
In April, Jenner, then Bruce, had an interview with Diane Sawyer, in which she publicly announced that he identified as a woman and would like to be known as Caitlyn. Her Vanity Fair cover sparked a worldwide discussion on the importance of being oneself and the role of transgender people in the media and the LGTBQ community. And her primetime televsion show, I Am Cait, debuted to an international audience. But aside from that, what has she done?
The controversy surrounding Jenner’s nomination joins other controversies about her political opinions. In a recent interview with Ellen, Jenner revealed that because she is a “traditionalist,” she has only recently come to accept the idea that same-sex marriage should be a legal right. She has also revealed that she is a Republican, which isn’t a bad thing, but may allude to other potentially problematic views.
Jenner has proved that she holds some views that aren’t completely accepting. She isn’t a proponent of equality for all groups of people, so many argue that she isn’t deserving of her title as Woman of the Year. While it isn’t unusual for Glamour to announce multiple women that they believe deserve their yearly title, the controversy around Jenner is greater than any previous recipients.