13 Reasons You Should Watch ‘I Am Cait’
Published on August 24, 2015.Caitlyn Jenner has become a household name recently, perhaps even more so than the name she used to go by, Bruce Jenner. Jenner’s fame comes from many sources with the most newsworthy including her Olympic gold medal in the men’s decathlon from the 1976 Summer Olympics, her marriage to Kris Jenner, and her spot in the reality television show Keeping Up With the Kardashians. Now, part of her fame stems from the fact that she is the most famous person ever to come out as transgender. When Jenner was interviewed on 20/20 with Diane Sawyer in April of this year, he announced that she was a woman. She made her debut as Caitlyn on the cover of Vanity Fair in July of this year, and now she now has her own show, I Am Cait, which shows her life after transitioning. Here are some reasons why you should tune in.
13. Features Many Family Members From “Keeping Up with the Kardashians”
It’s the same family as before, but with a different focus. If you’re looking for appearances from other Kardashians and Jenners, you won’t be disappointed.
Photo by Broadimage/REX12. See People’s Reactions To Caitlyn’s Transition
From Kanye’s wise and encouraging words to Caitlyn’s mother’s questions about religion to Kylie’s first time seeing Caitlyn over FaceTime, we see a lot of heartwarming reactions, and see and hear about a few not so heartwarming ones. Initial meetings with Caitlyn are seen throughout the show, and we also get to hear how people feel about the transition, and how supportive or uncomfortable people are with the whole situation. In all fairness, family members are also dealing with the divorce and all of the things being said in the media, so not everything is a reaction to Caitlyn’s transition, but it’s still interesting to see how everyone interacts.
11. It’s Reality TV With a Humanitarian Twist
… Or maybe humanitarian TV with a reality twist. It’s one of the two options, anyway. I Am Cait is an odd mix of a kind of after school special about a very serious topic, and a reality show about a controversial family. It seems that the people involved in the creation of this show can’t quite make up their minds about which is the focus, or how to smoothly combine the two vastly different topics, but in the end, it makes for some interesting TV.
(Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)10. It’s Not Only For a Transgender Audience
This show is definitely meant for a cisgender (i.e. not transgender) audience. It is meant to be an introduction to the world of transgender people, and the audience gets to learn about the community and their issues as Caitlyn learns about it herself. People who know absolutely nothing about transgender issues will not be lost while watching since it’s a new subject for many people on the show, and lots of things are explained for an audience that is not so familiar with the trans community. For trans viewers, it can be interesting to see inspirational members of the trans community, to see how transgender issues are being portrayed in the show, and to enjoy the reality side of the show as well.
9. Get Answers To Questions You May Have Had About Caitlyn’s Life
On I Am Cait, viewers can find out about Caitlyn’s love life, if that’s something they are interested in. They can see her vulnerable side with all of her fears and insecurities. Viewers see Ronda Kamihira, who was involved in some rumors with Caitlyn before her transition. They also see what Caitlyn thinks about dating post-divorce and post-transition. All this and much more is included in the show.
Source: E!8. Caitlyn Is Pretty Likeable
If you liked Bruce, you’ll probably like Caitlyn more. If you hated Bruce, you’ll probably really like Caitlyn. It’s clearly the same person, but she’s living more authentically. If you knew nothing about Bruce Jenner and know nothing about Caitlyn Jenner, then it’s just an interesting show about an interesting issue, with plenty of celebrity appearances.
Photo by Broadimage/REX Shutterstock7. Get Informed About An Important Issue
Many people think that transgender issues don’t apply to their life, but chances are, they have, or will have someone trans around them, whether they know it or not. Also, people are certainly going to interact with people who care about trans issues. I Am Cait can help inform viewers so that they can be more aware and respectful when discussing this topic.
Viewers get to have their questions about what it means to be trans answered as the people on the show explore them. Caitlyn has many questions and so do the people around her, so viewers get to hear lots of answers. Don’t think that it’s just a dull explanation of the definitions of key words though. All kinds of topics are discussed, from the basic to the scandalous and everything in between. Plus, many questions viewers wouldn’t even think of are addressed.
6. The Show Is Becoming More Realistic
The show has recently started to get into some conflict between Caitlyn and her family members. Not that people are all waiting with bated breath for some drama (although many probably are), but realistically, no one transitions without some less than perfect reactions from the people around them.
5. Watch Caitlyn Make a Difference In People’s Lives
You can see throughout the show that Caitlyn wants to help the transgender community. Every time she hears another heartbreaking story about the difficulties transgender individuals have faced in their lives, she is appalled, and wants to help. She knows that her experience is not the average experience of someone in that community (she has to know this because people are constantly reminding her of it), and she wants to use her privilege to help. One woman’s struggle touched her so deeply that she decided she was going to pay for her to go to nursing school (something she had been struggling to achieve for years). She mentioned that Ellen DeGeneres was a huge inspiration to her, so Caitlyn decides to tell her producer to prepare some footage of Blossom to send to Ellen and promises to pay to send her to be on the show.
4. See Caitlyn And Kris Talk It Out
In the final episode, Caitlyn and Kris (Caitlyn’s ex-wife) will sit down and talk about things for the first time after Caitlyn’s transition. Whether you think you know all the details about their relationship or not, it will be interesting to see how the two interact after all that they’ve been through.
3. Might Be Watching TV History In The Making
Caitlyn is the biggest celebrity we have seen transition, and this is exposing a new demographic to trans issues. Having such a famous person transition and having a TV show about their life might help to make transgender issues more accepted worldwide. There are some other very remarkable transgender people in the celebrity world, and hopefully many more to come, and television may become more welcoming to them than it has been in the past in part because of this show.
Source: Vanity Fair. Photo by: Annie Leibovitz2. Watch Caitlyn Be Humbled Because Of Her Privilege
During each and every episode, Caitlyn is reminded that she has lived an incredibly privileged life, unlike most transgender individuals (or cisgender individuals, for that matter). Caitlyn has only been “out” since this past April, and has lived a life that most people could only dream of. Caitlyn’s life and her transition have certainly not been without hardship; however, she has not lived a life of abuse, financial struggles, assault, discrimination, and other seemingly insurmountable obstacles like many transgender people have. In every episode, trans women around her remind her of her privilege and that she needs to learn from the other trans individuals around her if she wants to serve as an ambassador of sorts in the trans community. It’s kind of nice to have a member of the Kardashian/Jenner family called out for their privilege and reminded that most people in the world do not live like them.
1. It’s Nothing Like “Keeping Up With the Kardashians”
I Am Cait is basically a spinoff of Keeping Up With the Kardashians, but it’s nothing like it in regards to content. Sure, it’s the same family being featured, and if you are dying to have more Kardashian TV in your life, it’s worth checking out, but the show has a very unique feel. It’s not as silly and filled with fun antics, and has a more political, educational message. Caitlyn takes her role as a trans celebrity seriously, and we see her try to figure out what that means while trying to understand the community as a whole.