You've seen the cover — now hear what Caitlyn Jenner has to say.
Vanity Fair has released a new interview and video with the cover star on everyone's lips. In an extended chat with writer Buzz Bissinger, Jenner speaks about her newfound freedom in living publicly as a woman.
"I’m just going to go live life, I’m going to go enjoy life," she tells Bissinger of her plans. "I have nothing left to hide. I am kind of a free person, a free soul. [Up] to this point I would wear, you know, Bruce would wear, you know, sweatshirts with hoods on them so paparazzi can’t get pictures and all that kind of crap, and I didn’t want them to see if my fingernails were polished or, you know, on and on and on. It was just hell.
"To be able to wake up in the morning, be yourself, get dressed, get ready to go out, and just be like a normal person... that’s a wonderful feeling to go through life," she adds. "I’ve never been able to do that; it’s always been confusion, it’s always been, you know, I’ve got one side [with] boy clothes, the other side’s women’s clothes. It’s like I cleaned the whole closet out — the boys stuff is gone, okay?"
Jenner also talks about how she and her family members see Caitlyn as a "much better" person and friend than Bruce.
"[My son Burt] goes, 'To be honest with you, I think Caitlyn is a lot better person than Bruce,'" Jenner shares. "And I really have to — I think he’s right, because Bruce always had to tell a lie, he was always living that lie, every day, he always had a secret from morning till night. Caitlyn doesn’t have any secrets."
What else does Caitlyn do that Bruce wouldn't? Make kind gestures, like paying to fly her mother over for a visit, and personally calling her supporters within the trans community. One in particular captured Jenner's interest.
"I thought, I need to learn about the people, okay," she explains, "and here’s this lady living in New York state, she actually works in an operating room, transitioned 15 years ago, doing very well in her life, but obviously went through hell to get there, and I want to know these stories so I can — I have a platform that’s so large, how can I use that to make this better? And the only way I could do that is to talk to people."
Jenner also has role models she looks up to within the community, including Janet Mock and Laverne Cox.
"Back in the '80s, I was alone," she says in the behind-the-scenes video below. "I'm kind of following in their footsteps. They made it easier for me. I hope, with my honesty, I can make it easier for somebody else down the line."
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