Personal Account: Annika Penelope

Personal Account: Annika Penelope

I recently read an interesting account by Annika Penelope called "10 things I wish I'd known when I started my transition". As I am looking for personal accounts this was very helpful to my practice, her account helps to shed some light on problems some people go through when transitioning. 

The most interesting point was actually the first one about beauty standards, it didn't even occur to me that Transgender individuals suffered from the pressure of the media just as much as other women do. 

"As a trans girl, beauty culture can be especially difficult to navigate, because most of us have haven't been exposed to it very long. Our cis partners and friends have been dealing with it since middle school (if not earlier), and many have had years to develop effective coping strategies, so we DMAB ("designated male at birth") ladies have to make up for lost time, and on top of that, cissexist standards of beauty add another way for us to feel insecure." 

I found it quite refreshing to hear her opinions on how media culture affects all of us so drastically that even Transgender people going through transition can feel a little disappointed.

"A month or two into my transition, I told my girlfriend that I couldn't wait until I could look in the mirror and see a pretty girl staring back at me. "You realize that's never going to happen, right?" was her response. "You're going to look at your reflection and feel unsatisfied -- just like every other woman." And it's true.."