You've come a long way, baby

i) I'm of two minds about discussing Bruce Jenner's "transition." Like Josh Duggar's past, these aren't events that merit national attention. They have no intrinsic importance beyond the affected parties.

They only acquire a larger significance when certain people make them more important than they are. And in that respect they sometimes merit comment. 

The social engineers like to make certain individuals iconic figures for the cause. 

ii) Apropos (i), there's a Satanic mastermind behind what we are seeing. And I'm not speaking figuratively.

The dark side is infiltrating strategic institutions. Corrupt the church ("gay clergy"). Corrupt the military ("gays in the military"). Corrupt sports.

Male athletes symbolize masculinity. I'm by no means suggesting you have to be athletic to be manly. I'm just discussing the symbolism.

iii) One of the ironic things about the Vanity Fair cover is that it actually subverts the logic of the transgender movement. We're told gender is a state of mind. It's not about biology. It's not about male or female bodies.

But if that's the case, why is it so important for Jenner to look like a woman? And not just that. But to look like a girly-girl. A fashion model. If gender identity is separable from the body, why does he try so hard to look like Rene Russo?

If it's that important to appear feminine, why is it unimportant to be feminine–in terms of physiology and genetics? Why mimic female anatomy if gender is a state of mind?

So the whole presentation gives the lie to the transgender philosophy. In order to sell the message to the general public, the vehicle subverts the message. 

iv) In addition, the picture is fishy. Take the hair. Is that for real? Or is that a wig? He's pushing 66. At that age, many men are bald or balding.

v) Likewise, take the face. Once again, he's pushing 66. And he lives in sunny Southern California. I assume he spends lots of time out of doors.

Between his age and his exposure to sunshine, shouldn't his face be fairly weatherbeaten by now? So something is off.

By the same token, what happened to that square jaw he used to have? The facial bone structure of a classic jock? 

Is it cosmetic surgery? Makeup and lighting? Is it photoshopped? 

vi) It looks more convincing because no one is standing beside him. In real life, Jenner is 6' 2". How many women are that tall? If you stuck him in a group of men and women, it would shatter the illusion.

vii) One function of the long loose hair is to help disguise the fact that he has the broad shoulders of a male athlete.

The demure pose allows him to conceal his hands. 6' 2" jocks don't have lady-like hands–or feet. 

Likewise, the pose tries as best it can to downplay the muscular thighs.

If, according to transgender activists/apologists, gender is a purely psychological identity with no essential genetic or physiological component, then why did Jenner go to such lengths (extreme makeover surgery) to look feminine?

Why the desperate effort to efface his masculine appearance and superimpose a feminine simulacrum if gender is just a state of mind?

viii) I wonder if one of Jenner's problems was that he peaked at age 26. What do you do for an encore? Having won the gold medal in his mid-twenties, what do you do for the rest of your life? What do you do with the rest of your life? Did he have a plan? Or was it a big letdown after the prize?

ix) There's an American burlesque tradition of tough guys who dress in drag. It's a lark. A sight-gag. 

What makes it funny is the contrast between appearance and reality. A he-man who plays against type. It only works because the man's masculinity is beyond reproach. Powder-puff football is another example. 

If the performer were actually effeminate, it would backfire. That's why it's not funny when Jenner does it. It's just pathetic.

It reminds me of Michael Jackson's self-mutilation. Cosmetic surgery which defaced his racial identity. Made him look like a circus clown. It also reminds me of some actresses like Joan Crawford and Mae West who didn't know when to stop. 

x) Apropos (ix), it's revealing to contrast this with tough-guy actors of the past, viz. Humphrey Bogart, Charles Bronson, Sean Connery, Kirk Douglas, Clint Eastwood, Charlton Heston, Burt Lancaster, Steve McQueen, Robert Mitchum, Edward G. Robinson, Frank Sinatra, John Wayne. 

The cultural elite is hellbent on sabotaging the masculine image. I'm not suggesting these actors were Christian role-models. But common grace can preserve a residual witness to the natural order.  

xi) Jenner is shaking his fist at God. Hurling his God-given manhood back in God's face. Simultaneously perverting the gifts of the manhood and womanhood alike.

There are Christians who say we should pray for Jenner. I appreciate the sentiment. But I don't think that being rich and famous entitles one to special consideration. Honestly, I don't sympathize with Jenner. There are millions of people more deserving of my sympathies. Why should celebrities be the priority?