Us Weekly: Bruce Jenner isn’t transitioning, he’s just ‘obsessed with his looks’

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I really wish we had the most recent photos of Bruce Jenner from a few days ago, but we don’t – you can see them here at Dlisted. Those are the first photos of Bruce since he recovered from his laryngeal shave surgery, which went down a few weeks ago. In those photos, it really looks like he went in for a lot more than just a shaving-down of his Adam’s Apple. It looks like he also got A) a nose job, B) hair plugs, C) some eye work and D) lip injections. As we’ve discussed before, no one really knows if Bruce is transitioning but no one has any judgment for him either way. So, Us Weekly has a lukewarm story about all of this and their sources (Lucifer’s Homegirl and assorted minions) say that Bruce is getting this stuff done because he’s vain, not because he’s transitioning.

Bruce Jenner’s evolution continues. The former Olympian stole the spotlight from stepdaughter Kim Kardashian and her famous siblings this week when he stepped out in L.A. on Monday, Feb. 10, showing off his bare neck with a newly smoothed-down Adam’s Apple — the result of a laryngeal shave procedure he underwent last month at the Beverly Hills Surgical Center.

Although laryngeal shaves are often one of the first steps in gender reassignment surgery — spurring endless rumors about Jenner — Bruce recently explained: “I just didn’t like my trachea.”

The 1976 gold medalist has also been sporting noticeably longer hair in the months since he and Kris Jenner announced their separation. The father to six and stepfather to four has gone under the knife before, too: He had a nose job and partial face-lift in 1984, with a second face-lift to correct the work in 2009.

“I just turned 65 and I still have hair to grow,” the E! star told Us Weekly back in October.

What’s behind the transformation, anyway? Bruce “has always been obsessed with his looks,” one Kardashian insider tells Us. Another insider adds that he’s “never felt comfortable in his skin.”

One thing is clear: His famous kids will stick by him every step of the way. “His kids are supportive of whatever he does,” the second source says.

[From Us Weekly]

Bruce has “never felt comfortable in his skin.” Oh. Okay. That’s code for “he’s going to keep going in for surgeries,” right? So, is this situation just vanity and Bruce’s body image issues, or is it something else? I don’t have any idea. The only thing that bugs me is that the tabloids are running stories about how the Kardashian and Jenner kids think Bruce is “embarrassing” them. This whole situation has the feel of transphobia, but without the acknowledgement that we’re actually dealing with someone in transition.

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Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet.

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86 Responses to “Us Weekly: Bruce Jenner isn’t transitioning, he’s just ‘obsessed with his looks’”

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  1. mzizkrizten says:

    All the current focus on gay rights and tolerance for the lgbt community, I don’t get why people are going at Bruce in this ‘point and laugh’ manner. If he is transitioning, who cares. Does he not deserve tolerance because he’s a Kardashian? Does he not deserve respect for something so personal? I don’t get it. Not that this site is the main source of the ridicule but every news item on this topic has an undercurrent of shade. Its sad.

    • Kiddo says:

      This site has actually handled the subject with great deal of sensitivity. If he is still appearing on a ‘reality show’ then the point of privacy is moot. He has invited an audience.

      If he isn’t transitioning, then he is unintentionally turning into a woman, and since he has made himself a storyline in clusterF TV program, it is to be expected that people will comment, unless you believe that popular culture and reality shows should never be commented on, at all.

      What I saw in previous threads about Bruce potentially transitioning was an amazing amount of compassion and acceptance. Now, if he is somehow determined to go this route with surgeries as a means to an end of ‘handsomeness and youth’ only, then what is so different about people expressing their opinions on that, versus saying anything about Kim’s plastic face, or her mother’s, or any other celeb who has radical work done where there is little left of their original appearance?

      • Tammy says:

        Just because he is on a reality show does not mean he deserves any type of shade regarding the surgeries. And just because he is a public person does not mean he does not have a right to privacy. It is different than the comments/articles that occur on Kim Kardashian’s surgeries because almost every gossip site out there is assuming Bruce is undergoing a sex change and there is undercurrent of shaming/phobia against him. I am not saying this site is doing any of that but you cannot say its not any different than commenting on Kim Kardashian or any other celeb undergoing procedures because it is.

      • Tiffany :) says:

        i have a very cynical view on this. Because a lot of the “transitioning” talk seems to come from TMZ, which is a mouth piece for the Kardashians, I think these rumors are just plotline for the show crafted by Kris Jenner. The kids have their storylines, this is the one for the parents.

        I think he likes plastic surgery (as evident by his getting it done for decades), and I think this is just part of that. I think their PR strategy is to use these procedures as a storyline.

    • Leahmommy says:

      This site as usual is pretty thoughtful on the subject. Simply reporting on the transitioning of a public person is not transphobia( I think this word is becoming the new “bullying”). From what I’ve seen( Althought I don’t read a lot a sites) no cruel and inhuman words have been directed a Bruce. And I agree with Kiddo, Bruce doesn’t value privacy at all considering how he’s chosen to live his life on a reality show. Bruce Jenner like all the K people is an attention seeker, if he ever go for surgery to become a woman he would want us talking about it, heck he would probably have cameras filming the whole thing. Don’t try to make Bruce into a saint that deserve privacy, he still a Kardashian, he craves the spotlight.

    • Sarah says:

      This is the one site I see where the situation is treated with a modicum of respect. That being said, he is a public figure – on the most public of the reality shows, for goodness sake. He forfeited privacy a long, long time ago. I think a lot of people my age and a little older have felt very, very sad about Bruce for a long time now. I had a poster of him up in my teenage bedroom in the late 1970. The man was hot. Seriously hot. Over the last few years, obviously something bad has been happening to him. If he wasn’t happy with his looks, then the guy should have 20/20 eye surgery because he was a stud. If the unhappiness in his skin was related to gender issues, then I find that incredibly sad that he has had to go through this and find his way through now that he is such a public figure. Had he just been a former Olympian (without Lucifer’s homegirl in his life), he would have faded away and maybe been back in the news every 4 years. But he also made his deal with the devil and he can’t take it back now. I do feel for his children, however, because it is not just the transition for the person – all around him have to work through their own issues and how it affects them. I wish him well but still lament the loss of my hot Decathalon Bruce.

      • lili says:

        Sarah! this ^
        hot Olympian Bruce and his manly throat were the source of many a youthful fantasy for me as well

      • SonjaMarmeladova says:

        I think that his story is so sad – the man has an Olympic medal, and yet, he will be remembered as a trashy reality star.On the rare occasions that I watched the show, I felt so sorry for him. They all treated him as a doormat and laughing stock.

      • TrustMeOnThis says:

        We must be close in age. 🙂

        One thing I find fascinating about Bruce is that he also was the first celebrity Olympic athlete to merchandise himself – he was the first to be featured on the Wheaties box. So in a way, he’s been doing self-promotion for years.

        I wish him the best and I can only imagine distancing from Kris will be good for Bruce.

      • Nina W says:

        Lou Gehrig was the first athlete on a Wheaties Box and pole vaulter Bob Richards the first medal winning Olympian on the box. Bruce was not the first.

  2. Sixer says:

    I worked with someone in transition some years ago. It is flippin’ ‘ard, no matter WHO you are.

  3. bowers says:

    He needs to work harder.

  4. BeckyR says:

    Obviously he is obsessed with his looks, just as the whole family seems to do nothing but hair/makeup/shop. What is amusing is that he has no idea how ridiculous he looks. He has morphed into a joke.

  5. MrsBPitt says:

    He may not be transitioning, it could be that he is addicted to plactic surgery. We have all seen the results of women who, unnecessarily, get cosmetic procedure, after cosmetic procedure….the end results, usually, don’t look well…OR, he is transitioning…what do I know!

    • Kellie says:

      He has had another facelift done for sure. That skin in the d-listed pics is smooth and tight. Also, hairplugs. You can see it clearly, compared to these pictures.

    • Jane says:

      I saw a photo of him taken decades ago, it was black and white and it may have been taken in high school. It was the first photo of a series of photos to show how he looked as time when on. It looked to me that he had his nose done before he became famous as an athlete because his nose in the first photo is different than it is the all the following photos.

      I don’t know if he is transitioning, but I tend to doubt it. I think he is obsessed with his looks and plastic surgery. He seems to have a distorted view of himself. His nose was fine but he screwed it up anyway. Too bad there isn’t someone he listens to keep him from continuing this obsession.

    • Tiffany :) says:

      I agree. And I think PMK is using the surgeries as a way to start rumors to be used as a plotline in their show. The parents need camera time too, and this gives a reason to have scenes between Kris and Bruce.

      This wouldn’t be the first time the Kardashians have started rumors just so they could deny them.

  6. GoodNamesAllTaken says:

    Well, I hope he finds happiness and peace, whatever is going on.

  7. BendyWindy says:

    He got his first facelift in 1984? He was still really young then. WTF? I think it’s crazy that he’ll be judged for body image issues, while women are pitied.

    • Camellia says:

      I think women are more harshly judged for “vanity.” They are judged for aging and they are judged for trying to stop aging.

      I feel a tremendous amount of pity for Bruce, TBH, probably moreso because he’s a man. In our society, we’re conditioned to think that men can age naturally without plastic surgery. That he feels he needs to keep cutting up his face is outside the norm, making me think he’s got some kind of dysmorphia issue. /armchairpsychiatrist

      • Shannon1972 says:

        I think living up to his own past must be very difficult, especially in the case of former athletes. It’s awful to be competing with your younger self. During the 70’s was he basically held up as the epitome of what a perfect ” virile man” should be. His Wheaties box is probably the most famous, along with Mary Lou Retton. Is it any wonder that he may be fighting the aging process with every weapon? Especially surrounded by the shallow Kardashians.

        If he is transitioning, I hope he finds peace, happiness and acceptance for himself…because he probably will get ripped to shreds in the screaming tabloids.

      • Camellia says:

        I do want to clarify that my pity for Bruce assumes he’s NOT secretly transitioning.

        If he is transitioning, then I hope whatever he’s doing does bring him peace of mind. I suppose in that case, I’d have a different kind of pity, since I’m sure it isn’t easy to go on that journey with paps and tabloids on his tail.

    • idk says:

      I think he had a nose job done in 1984, not a face lift…but I could be wrong.

    • Nina W says:

      I don’t see the gender bias, I feel the same about him that I do about every other person out there going under the knife for superficial reasons. I think it’s sad but I also think it’s vain and self-serving. No one should spend their lives staring at the mirror obsessing about their wrinkles and flaws, male or female. I think people need to stop accepting this type of nonsense as “normal”. Aging IS normal, and people need to accept aging as part of life and encourage others to do so as well. Every year you live is a badge of honor to be worn with pride, value yourself and your experience, it beats the hell out of the alternative.

  8. lizzy says:

    It must be hard for him. He was really good looking in the 70s. Then did that weird facelift. And ruined his face. He probably still thinks he can fix it but just looks worse and worse.

    • Hautie says:

      I think that is it too. Jenner relied on being good looking. And got use to it and what came with it. An easy life.

      He was a well known athlete with lots of opportunities. But most it relied on his looks. Yet, I am going to call bullsh*t on how many times he went under for a lift. I suspect he had three face lifts. And it was the third one, that messed up his nose and eyes. Then had to turn around and have it repaired, to look remotely normal.

      Sadly, it just strikes me that he never really had a back up plan. Like aging gracefully. Finding a new way to sell himself. He probably would have aged well, had he skipped the early face work. But it is hard to give up looking 35 forever.

      Then he married Lucifer’s home girl. And look at how much work she has had done, before the fame. The fame that came in the last decade. So it probably did not help having a wife who had no issues with making plans, for her ten year old’s, future nose job. (Khloe)

    • starrywonder says:

      Yeah I never understood why he got a facelift in the first place.

  9. Neffie says:

    Embarrassing THEM??? that’s funny!

  10. swack says:

    He has definitely gone too far with the plastic surgery. I remember him from his Olympic days. He was such a cutie and a heart throb for many. Not so much anymore. If he is so concerned about his looks then he needs to get rid of those moobs! That’s what I notice first. I hope he finds what he is looking for, but it doesn’t look like he will.

  11. len says:

    Seems to me like an addiction to plastic surgery. I feel like this is very similar to something like anorexia. When these people look in the mirror, they don’t see reality anymore.

    • Lucy2 says:

      I agree, and being married to the queen of vanity and plastic surgery probably didn’t help.
      Whatever is going on, He’sclearly going through some issues so I wish the tabloids would leave him alone. He’s already suffered enough!

  12. bns says:

    It’s really sad that he still doesn’t feel happy with himself after all of these years, and he can’t even see that he’s making it worse.

  13. Carolin says:

    Is he going to transform into a woman? Looks a bit like it. Well, why not.

  14. Fran says:

    He looks like a Lohan!

  15. Anastasia says:

    Body Dysmorphic Disorder. He needs counseling, not more surgery. 🙁

  16. Frida_K says:

    Poor Bruce…living with Lucifer’s Homegirl had to have done a number on him.

    After what he did to his nose, it’s going to be hard to ever come back from that. However, if he has lots of therapy and finally learns to accept himself as he is, and–ideally–learns to stop fixating on himself and his mortal coil, he’ll look a lot better. People who are comfortable within their own skin and who look at others and care about others (anything besides just me, me, me at least) tend to have a calm, peaceful glow that gives them beauty whether or not they are physically beautiful.

  17. Lisa says:

    I don’t think this has anything to do with sexual identity issues. He seems to be a plastic surgery addict, like Michael Jackson or Joan Rivers.

  18. Ellie66 says:

    I think when men get so much plastic surgery they start looking feminine (scary feminine) but the nails and flowing Ombré locks are a bit much if he is not trying to look like a woman. He was a cutie back in day everyone had a crush on him back then. Not so much after he messed his face up. Also his “acting career” went nowhere remember Xanadu? Yikes! 😉

  19. eliza says:

    I don’t think this is anything other than a vain man trying to recapture his youth and trying to be hip and cool yet failing miserably. I don’t get this “he’s transitioning” that everyone keeps talking about. He is not the first celebrity or man to go overboard with surgeries in order to recapture their youth.

  20. Quinn says:

    I think if we have tanorexia in our vocabulary, it’s clearly time for plasticrexia to be included. It truly is a disorder, clearly tied to BDD, but different- because it seems most of those getting too much plastic surgery think it actually looks good. It’s like they can’t see they no longer resemble healthy humans. It’s a tragedy that our right to normal aging has been so perverted.

  21. lovegossipbutnotL&E says:

    Personally I think it is too much of a coincedence that there were all the rumors about him wearing woman’s clothing and all that for it to be only a “vanity” thing at this point. I think he is transitioning. If he follows thru with it, and doesn’t let all the talk about him get to him, who knows. If he is happy, good for him. I hope he does what he wants and says screw it to all the talk!!! 🙂

    • Tiffany :) says:

      But where did the rumors about women’s clothes come from??? Kris Jenner. That makes me think it isn’t true.

    • Nina W says:

      Those rumors came straight from PMK and coincided with their marital split and the new season of their krapfest. Pure hogwash. I will only believe that he is transitioning if it comes from his mouth otherwise I am 100% confident that this is more BS made up by the K lie machine.

  22. sapphoandgrits says:

    It’s quit obvious he is transitioning, but i say good for him.

    I REALLY dislike how this is being reported, so very giggly or faux shocked. CB is one of the few places that haven’t done this.

    Unfortunately, his ties to the Kardashians and their show all those years have made him a very public figure.

    I hope he makes this public soon, just so we know to use “she’ rather than ‘he.’

    *I am saying it seems obvious to me because of a friend who transitioned MTF, and was very, very similar to Bruce Jenner.

    • Nina W says:

      I disagree, it is not obvious at all. He reminds me very much of Burt Reynolds who also had disastrous relationships and did way too much plastic surgery. It’s very Hollywood and not at all gender related.

  23. Heat says:

    I have to admit (albeit shamefully) that I have watched KUWTK. E! played a marathon of it one Sunday when I was in bed with “wine flu”.
    I saw the episode from 2009 when Bruce went to get the fix-up facelift. From what I could gather, he was rather emotionally scarred from what was done to his face originally in 1984; he was made fun of in the press, and was embarrassed.
    If, indeed, Bruce is now going through a gender transition, I applaud him for his courage. It must be extremely difficult for anyone, let alone someone who is in the public eye, to go through with something like that. No one should shame him for that.
    But, that being said, if he is not going through this transition, and just wants to get the work done, he also shouldn’t be made fun of for it. Perhaps, because of the shame he felt from the 1984 botch-job, he really is insecure about his looks. He’s a newly single man, a former world champion, who may just be trying to battle the clock, you know? That would be sad, but I certainly won’t throw shade at him for it.

  24. anoneemouse says:

    And you thought YOU had embarassing parents….

  25. jess says:

    I dont think hes transitioning ( Btw, thats just à bizarre rumor. I thought ppl were just joking). I think he is just insecure about his looks. I remember on one episode he made a comment that there were no pics of him in the house. I forget what excuse pmk gave him. Hes definatly going down the Michael Jackson route.

  26. Hootysgram says:

    Whatever he’s doing…it’s making him look more female, than male. STOP already with the tweeking….You were fine before any of the surgeries.

  27. Jennabean says:

    IMO he is transitioning because, well Bruce had breasts now. Bruce was never one to live in the public eye ( always seemed pushed into it by PMK)I wish him luck and happiness.

    • FingerBinger says:

      I was going to say the same thing. The boobs,the hair,the nails, and the larynx shaving. It all looks like he’s transitioning to me too. What man says ‘gosh I don’t like the size of my larynx’? There seems to be more going on than body dysmorphic disorder, which was suggested up thread,IMO.

      • bluhare says:

        I agree.

      • Tiffany :) says:

        But do we know it was a larynx shave, and not just surgery on his neck? Consider the source! Facelifts dont’ usually address the saggy skin on the neck. It is possible he got it tightened, not “shaved”.

    • Decloo says:

      Is it just me or is Bruce wearing a skirt in that top picture?

    • Jane says:

      A lot of men have breasts like that, especially as they get older or are overweight. Unless they start getting bigger, I don’t think that is an indication.

  28. kcarp says:

    I don’t think it is a phobia if your kids are uncomfortable that their dad is becoming a woman. Its one thing to be ok with other people doing something but when it hits close to home you have different feelings.

  29. magpie says:

    I think it’s impossible to look at the first pick and say he’s not transitioning. The missing adam’s apple, the moobs, hair and the skirt he’s wearing. There were blinds forever about him being a cross dresser, I didn’t believe them then, but I believe them now. He was probably pretty traumatised by Kris who probably used his secrets or confusion to control him. Now that he’s gotten away I think he will become a woman and he deserves support and understanding.

    • Nina W says:

      Oh my goodness! Cross dressing and gender identity issues are not the same thing at all. Cross dressing does not mean you want to change your gender. Having multiple plastic surgeries for vanity also don’t indicate a gender identity issue.

      • magpie says:

        I think getting your adam’s apple shaved is pretty severe and yes, denotes the begining of a transition. We’ll see…I wish him well.

  30. Amsterdamned says:

    Telling the world the father of ur children is turning in to a woman, because you now he’s vain, after WHAY YOU LET HIM DO TO HIS FACE.But as an adult, why did Bruce, let her get in his head? Kris you did a good job, dont ya think?? E!TV should prepare for Psychiatry for sessions years and years to come..

  31. idk says:

    If he’s really addicted to plastic surgery, then he married into the right family. I don’t understand at his age, why he feels the need to shave down his adam’s apple? You’d think once you reach a certain age, you would be comfortable in who and what you are. I think the nose job was to correct scarring he had from the skin cancer removal on his nose. I wouldn’t be surprised of the Jenners/Kardashians feel embarrassed…that family is embarrassed by Rob’s weight gain. Their priorities are all screwed up. If Bruce really is “transitioning”, that is his business though. But for some reason, I actually believe him. Do you really think Kris Jenner wouldn’t have the cameras rolling when all this is happening? They need the ratings !

  32. mytbean says:

    About the “transphobia” thing – It’s estimated that between .0025% and 1% is transgendered so even though it’s more publicly understood it is still not something that everyone sees every day. So I feel like when people respond in an insensitive or awkward way, reflexively rejecting or withdrawing from it I can’t really blame them. Not every one knows someone personally who’s either going through this or affected by it. I’m sure this depends on what part of the world you live in too – as to how comfortable with it. I’m very open minded and happy so long as others are happy but I still cringe a little when I imagine my father doing this to himself.

  33. JudyK says:

    Have always liked Bruce, who I think has some moral integrity, unlike Pimp Mom and the Kardashian family.

    I like Kourtney and think she’s a great mom…for me, the only exception.

    At any rate, I wish Bruce happiness.

  34. Jeanette says:

    I think its terrible how they are speculating that he is transitioning, and shaming him for it! Ive seen things on TMZ. I heard one of the late night show hosts also poking fun as well.

    No matter if it is Vanity or transformation, do we really have a right to poke fun at someone who obviously is insecure in some of the aspects of his appearance?

    • Nina W says:

      It’s mean but he opened himself up to it by taking the paycheck from E! and pimping out the family for ratings.

  35. Palermo says:

    Most people by the time they reach 65 are just happy to be alive and healthy. People with common sense know not to have unnecessary surgeries, which can kill you. I don’t know what he’s doing but he is taking chances, and he still has two young daughters who need him. He makes his money doing inspirational talks, and I don’t see him as inspirational now, just foolish.

  36. LAK says:

    Whatever he is going through, I bet PMK will showcase it on her TV show.

  37. danielle says:

    If he’s transitioning, good for him for going for what is right for him. If he’s not, I feel terribly bad for him for missing a major perk of being a middle aged man….being clean and somewhat fit is the only requirement of looking “distinguished.”

  38. Fan says:

    Bruce Jenner, please bring back the old Olympic Bruce.

    • jasperkitty67 says:

      Bruce Jenner is still the same Olympian that WON the US an Olympic GOLD medal and should be treated with the same respect now as he was then. He hasn’t broken any laws, hasn’t egged any houses, no dui’s (that I know of) and he’s been a great Father. Am I a fan? You betcha….and I am Canadian! He’s a great mentor and it shocks me to see how he is being treated…regardless of whether or not he is on a reality show.

      • homegrrrrl says:

        I know…I really like him, and realize he was in a loveless marriage for far too long. Of course he’s in a transition…it’s called divorce, and finding your lost Mojo. I did a renovation to the house of self in that phase, simply because I wanted to feel more attractive, and it’s hard to “get out there” as we get older. Dating in middle age is like walking in jello; we know it used to be second nature, once upon a time, but now it feels both necessary and sooooo awkward. He thought he married a hot single mom and got señorita controllita. Now he’s back peddling and on his own again.

      • Fan says:

        I have all the respect for him. I was a fan and still is. I just want to see the old Olympic Bruce again. Is that too much to ask?

  39. roxy750 says:

    A tan would do wonders.

  40. Mitch Buchanan Rocks! says:

    In the D listed pic he looks like Kristin Bell.

  41. whateveryouwantittobe says:

    I honestly could do without this being a news story, I just don’t think it’s fair. If he is changing then he deserves some space and privacy.

  42. Jo says:

    I hope the transitioning stories are true. He is failing big time if he is having this plastic surgery to look better. He looks god-awful.

  43. Twez says:

    I’d be willing to bet actual money that he’s transitioning. And I think he’d get less press harassment if he would say so. He shouldn’t have to say anything, of course, but he also didn’t have to live in the public eye.

  44. Moi says:

    Ummm, yeah right…

  45. FartSack says:

    If it is a body dysmorphic thing, then he is just fixated on his face, which kinda doesn’t fit the diagnosis. However, if he is transitioning, he is working on his moobs next. Strange that he isn’t paying attention to his chest. His face is sad though.