Keeping up with Caitlyn Jenner, writes Twinkle Khanna

A table for 14 on a wide deck facing the sapphire-blue waters of the Cote d’Azur. A glass of wine, some ceviche and a sense of deep relaxation at the prospect of doing nothing except making new memories with old friends.

This calm is shattered by one of the teenagers in our group, who looks over the railing, onto the lower deck and almost topples over yelling, “Look! That is Kim Kardashian’s mother, Kris Jenner!” For a certain generation of very young women, Kimmy darling is Lord Jesus and that makes Kris Jenner worthy of worshipping, not quite as mom in the manger, but as the great Mom-Manager herself.

Kris Jenner is staying at our hotel and over the next few days, I keep bumping into her everyday, at the gym, at the patio, over breakfast, at dinner, at a local restaurant.

I have never given Kris Jenner much thought before and even when the iconic cover of Vanity Fair ‘Call me Caitlyn’ was splashed everywhere. A silent ‘Good going, girl’ cheer for Caitlyn’s bravery in being true to herself was just about my immediate response. But now that I have spent this entire week colliding into Caitlyn’s very recent ex-wife, I have to say that while the world is going on about how courageous Caitlyn has been coming out as a woman, I began to wonder about Kris, who lived for over two decades with someone so uncomfortable in their own skin. How many times must she have looked back at her life with him and wondered which parts were real for him and how many places he must’ve had to pretend?

A woman who perhaps stoically saw the pizza on the plate that had been handed over to her and deep down, knew that it was actually a margherita trying very hard to be a pepperoni and only she knew that it was all baloney. Though when you look at Kris Jenner you just get a feeling that she will overcome this as well. She is a strong-looking woman with cropped dark hair. Each time I saw her, she was all covered up in black, a razor-sharp contrast to the magazine cover with Caitlyn.

A lot has been written on Caitlyn and her cover, so perhaps I should add my tiny bit here. All I want to say is that she may have chosen to come out as a version of a woman, the way men routinely perceive us women, all exploding out of a white corset, with teased long hair and inch-long eyelashes. And though some will wonder if being a woman is only about flowing locks and cleavage, some will understand her dilemma as we face it everyday, too.

She is not the only one struggling with possessing the mind of a strong woman, but conforming to the image of a poster girl — a perception so deeply ingrained within our own heads, that we are always on a quest to live up to it. A tiny battle we engage in, to match the standards that the world holds up as reflections in our mirrors; or to just be creatures of our own devices. And most of us find a comfortable midpoint in our own unique way.

Some will get breast implants to reach that ideal notion whereas others will decide a swipe of pink lipstick is enough. One woman may put on false eyelashes whereas another will rim her eyes with kaajal. Some of us may diet our way to a size-zero and some may look for an outfit that makes them look three pounds lighter, but almost all of us pay homage at the altar of the image of perfect womanhood because we know that a woman is often judged as much for the way she looks and what she wears, as what she achieves, not just by men but even by her own good old tribe. After all, even Hillary Clinton, who is running for President of the United States, realised that people were more interested in her pantsuits than they were in her campaign slogans and decided to design a version of her suit as part of the campaign merchandise.

So dear Caitlyn, don’t worry, you are not alone.  We are all there as well, standing in a queue waiting to pay at the hallowed recesses of MAC, Victoria’s Secret and L’Oreal right next to you.