The Daily Show's Jon Stewart was pretty happy with the coverage of Caitlyn Jenner's Vanity Fair cover — except for some of the sexism behind it.
Stewart praised media outlets who acknowledged the bravery and cultural milestone represented by Jenner's reveal. But he lamented pundits who almost immediately focused on Jenner's looks, showcasing the ugly treatment women have gone through in media for a long, long time.
"You see, Caitlyn, when you were a man, we could talk about your athleticism, your business acumen," he said. "But now you're a woman, and your looks are really the only thing we care about. Which brings us to phase two of your transition: 'comparative fuckability.'"
Stewart mocked outlets that compared Jenner to Jessica Lange and Kim Kardashian, adding, "Look, we want to give a woman a compliment here. We just need to make sure another woman gets taken down a peg in the process. It's how we maintain the balance."
Watch: Life as a transgender woman
Will you support Vox’s explanatory journalism?
Most news outlets make their money through advertising or subscriptions. But when it comes to what we’re trying to do at Vox, there are a couple of big issues with relying on ads and subscriptions to keep the lights on:
First, advertising dollars go up and down with the economy. We often only know a few months out what our advertising revenue will be, which makes it hard to plan ahead.
Second, we’re not in the subscriptions business. Vox is here to help everyone understand the complex issues shaping the world — not just the people who can afford to pay for a subscription. We believe that’s an important part of building a more equal society. And we can’t do that if we have a paywall.
So even though advertising is still our biggest source of revenue, we also seek grants and reader support. (And no matter how our work is funded, we have strict guidelines on editorial independence.)
If you also believe that everyone deserves access to trusted high-quality information, will you make a gift to Vox today? Any amount helps.
Yes, I'll give $5/month
Yes, I'll give $5/month
We accept credit card, Apple Pay, and
Google Pay. You can also contribute via