Social media’s commodified, transgender ambassador: Caitlyn Jenner, celebrity activism, and social media

ABSTRACT

American Olympic athlete and former reality television star Caitlyn Jenner remains a polarising figure in discussions of celebrity culture, transgender visibility, and social activism due to her conservative political views and limited knowledge about the issues non-famous transgender people face in society. Since reintroducing herself as a transgender woman in 2015, Jenner has been framed as a figurehead for transgender activism in mass media due to her avowed intention to disrupt transphobia and Twitter commentary on politics, and equally accused of commodifying her transgender experience for economic gain. Given the many questions surrounding the legitimacy of Jenner’s transgender advocacy and her intentional use of Twitter as a medium to discuss transgender politics, this research conducted a textual analysis of Jenner’s Twitter account, @Caitlyn_Jenner to examine how the transgender celebrity used social media to discuss her lived experiences as a transgender woman and advocate on behalf of the transgender community. The findings supported prior scholarly criticisms of Jenner’s celebrity image, online celebrity activism, and transwomen’s representations in celebrity culture. @Caitlyn_Jenner fostered online social connections and discussions with her transgender followers. However, Jenner did not facilitate any collective social movement actions due to her ideological differences with Republican and transgender communities.

KEYWORDS:

• Caitlyn Jenner
• celebrity activism
• celebrity activist tweeting
• social media
• transgender activism
• transgender politics

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. Throughout this study, Caitlyn Jenner was referenced using women’s pronouns (i.e. she and her) to respect her gender identity and preferred pronoun (Lopez 2015).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Melvin L. Williams

Melvin L. Williams, PH.D. is an Assistant Professor of Communication Studies at Pace University, where he teaches undergraduate courses in critical media studies, popular culture, and race and ethnicity in the media. A native of Memphis, Tennessee, Dr. Williams earned his Ph.D. in Communication, Culture, and Media Studies and a graduate certificate in Women’s Studies from Howard University, as well as his Bachelor and Master’s degrees from Tennessee State University. As a communication scholar and celebrated culturist, he examines the intersections of race, gender, and sexuality in popular culture. Specifically, his research considers the political ramifications of popular culture to investigate how minority communities use its mediums to address disparaging media representations. Dr. Williams has published research in several books and journals, including Feminist Theory and Pop Culture, Journal of Sports Media, Race, Gender, and Class: The Journal, Spectrum: A Journal on Black Men, The Journal of Hip-Hop Studies, and most recently, Howard Journal of Communications.