It has been almost a month since Glamour magazine officially named Caitlyn Jenner ‘Woman of The Year.’ Even so, controversy has failed to die down since that formal announcement. The husband of Moira Smith, who was a police officer who lost her life during the 9/11 attacks, returned his late wife’s award in protest of the magazine’s selection of Jenner.
And he’s not the only one. Rose McGowan, also a past recipient, has some choice words for Jenner. She was particularly critical of a comment Jenner made in her acceptance speech where she stated that the “hardest part about being a woman is figuring out what to wear.”
McGowan took to Facebook to express her concerns in a now-deleted post, writing, “Caitlyn Jenner you do not understand what being a woman is about at all. You want to be a woman and stand with us—well learn us. We are more than deciding what to wear. We are more than the stereotypes foisted upon us by people like you. You’re a woman now? Well f*cking learn that we have had a VERY different experience than your life of male privilege.”
She added that Caitlyn shouldn’t be considered Woman of the Year until she “wake[s] up and join[s] the fight”—and concluded that “If you know you are going to be speaking to media about being a woman, maybe come to understand our struggles.”
On the one hand, we agree with McGowan—when one has an audience the way Caitlyn does, it’s important to send the right message. But slapping the term “male privilege” on a transgender woman who’s only recently been able to go public with her true identity… well, that’s a little harsh. What do you think, collegiettes? Do you agree with McGowan?