Jill Soloway on Why 'Fifty Is Just a Start'
The creator of Transparent, which returns for its second season on December 4, on storytelling and turning 50.
![](https://static.oprah.com/images/o2/201512/201512-omag-jill-949x534.jpg)
Photo: Maarten De Boer/Contour by Getty
At the dentist, nitrous is my best friend. Whether it's a root canal or a standard cleaning, I always ask for laughing gas. I wear cozy clothes, kick off my shoes and listen to my dentist playlist, which includes some Bob Dylan and Van Morrison. It's better than a spa.
We're more than "good girls" and "Bad Girls." Women are always divided into categories: wife versus mistress, angel versus whore, Betty versus Veronica. But men created these tropes. I think it's time for women to start writing their own stories.
Trans stories have been around forever. This season has some scenes set in the early 1930s in Berlin, where there was a lot of celebration about different identities. I was surprised to discover that the moment we're in right now with gay marriage and trans visibility isn't new. We've been here before!
Keeping a friend's secret from a spouse is never a good idea. If you share a secret with someone and ask them not to tell their partner, you're asking them to drive a wedge into their marriage. I haven't always abided by this rule, and it's gotten me into trouble.
Fifty is just the start. Five years ago, I couldn't have imagined that I'd have a trans parent and so much clarity about my life. Instead of heading downhill, I feel like I'm just now reaching a pinnacle.
We're more than "good girls" and "Bad Girls." Women are always divided into categories: wife versus mistress, angel versus whore, Betty versus Veronica. But men created these tropes. I think it's time for women to start writing their own stories.
Trans stories have been around forever. This season has some scenes set in the early 1930s in Berlin, where there was a lot of celebration about different identities. I was surprised to discover that the moment we're in right now with gay marriage and trans visibility isn't new. We've been here before!
Keeping a friend's secret from a spouse is never a good idea. If you share a secret with someone and ask them not to tell their partner, you're asking them to drive a wedge into their marriage. I haven't always abided by this rule, and it's gotten me into trouble.
Fifty is just the start. Five years ago, I couldn't have imagined that I'd have a trans parent and so much clarity about my life. Instead of heading downhill, I feel like I'm just now reaching a pinnacle.