By Katie Gray
Since Bruce Jenner’s celebrity interview with Diane Sawyer aired on Friday, April 24, the world has been Keeping Up with Bruce.
Jenner’s gender transition and bombshell interview has been making celebrity news since it aired. During his conversation he stated that he has been slowly transitioning since the early ’80s but never felt completely comfortable to go through with it until now.
At 65-years-old the star of Keeping Up with the Kardashians says he is now “relieved and happy about moving forward and going public about his transition.” Jenner also said that he is on a mission to help others in the transgender community who are facing discrimination. In our recent celebrity interview with Dr. Jeffrey Spiegel, a world renowned facial plastic surgeon specializing in facial feminization surgery, we were able to gather some great insight.
Transgender Facial Surgeon Comments on Bruce Jenner’s Celebrity News
Facial Feminization Surgery (FFS) is defined as a group of surgical procedures that alter the face to increase its femininity. In addition to FFS, Dr. Spiegel specializes in advanced facial aesthetics for both male and female patients. His patients come to him from around the world in order to complete the final, and most important step in the process. “A lot of people assume that the most important part would be the sexual reassignment surgery or the genital reassignment surgery,” explains Dr. Spiegel. “But a transgender woman knows she’s a woman. The problem is, that people she meets don’t see her that way. I help a person to present to the outside world exactly the way that they feel on the inside,” he says.
When talking about Jenner’s transgender decision the physician isn’t surprised. “Bruce Jenner’s story is very consistent with others, especially because transgender men and women know their identity at a very early age.” He adds, “While trying to come to grips with these feelings, often those who are transgender will try to pursue something that is extremely manly or extremely macho: becoming a police officer, a firefighter, joining the military.”
Related Link: Kim Kardashian Reacts to Latest Celebrity News of Bruce Jenner’s Transition
Transgender men and women often struggle during their lifetimes with how they really feel inside, which is why the age in which a person transitions tends to vary. This could explain why Bruce Jenner is coming forward now in his sixties and addressing this matter. Dr. Spiegel points out that Jenner grew up in an age without the Internet and that could be a good reason why he didn’t decide to do anything until now. “As a young child feeling like a woman, there weren’t many resources for him to figure out what was going on. Therefore, there was probably a lot of confusion when he was a child due to the fact that he felt like a woman on the inside while still retaining the outward appearance of a man.”
Dr. Spiegel also advises that there are a few things that Jenner must consider before taking the next step in his journey. “Bruce needs to decide what choice he’s going to make. He needs to decide how he wants to live. If he wants to live as Bruce Jenner, someone people see as a man, but one in which he feels like a woman, or if he wants to transition and live full time as a woman,” explains Dr. Spiegel. If he wants to fully transition, there are a few surgeries that he would need to undergo over a period of time.
Celebrity Interview with Dr. Jeff Spiegel Reveals Family Expectations
Big life events such as the gender transition of a family member can also be difficult for loved ones to handle initially. Dr. Spiegel says, “In general there is a sense of disbelief followed by examination and they look for clues of the behavior of the person that may have manifested over the years.” When it comes to the family, Spiegel says family members actually go through a mourning of their loved one. He explains, “If you have a brother who becomes a sister, you lose your brother; your brother goes away. [But] you gain a sister. It’s the same person. It’s a happier person in many ways and eventually they become a better person because they become whole.”
Another topic that people are unsure about is the sexual preference of a transgender person. “A person’s sexual preferences and who they are sexually attracted to, doesn’t really seem to be predictable when a person transitions. As with any other woman, some transgender women are heterosexual, some are homosexual, some are bisexual,” says Dr. Spiegel. There is no real connection to predict which preference an individual may have. In Jenner’s case, he told Diane Sawyer in his interview that he is “asexual.”
Related Link: Bruce Jenner’s Ex-Celebrity Wife Reacts to ABC Special
In reference to his profession Dr. Spiegel says, “The most rewarding part of being a plastic surgeon is making people feel whole.” He enjoys helping people outwardly look the way that they feel on the inside. “They feel comfortable. It gives them self-esteem, it gives them pride, confidence and improves [their] health.”
In terms of what Bruce’s Jenner’s public announcement means for the future of the transgender community he believes that this will create a greater awareness of the transgender community and that people who face this same challenge will look to Jenner as a role model. “I think Bruce Jenner has a lot of responsibility to the transgender community now and in the future, particularly those who are undergoing a transition process.” He concludes, “They will watch how Bruce Jenner handles this and will potentially model their own behavior because of his actions.”
