I never really the way I looked. I thought that it was just a phase. Everybody had to get used to their grown-up bodies, right? The years went on, but I still felt weird in my own skin. Eventually, I figured out that this weirdness is formally known as “dysphoria”, and that I was a trans man.
That made me feel worse. Now, instead of feeling that my hips were weirdly shaped, I compared my hips to the hips of every man I ever saw. I could never measure up. I would just be this strange, short, deformed guy.
After ranting to one of my friends about how my shoulders were too girly, she suggested, “Try taking naked selfies.”
“Why would I want to do that?” It was such a strange suggestion.
“It helps you get into a headspace of liking your body.”
“But… what if I get hacked?” I’d heard so many warnings about people getting blackmailed.
“Just delete the photos.” She grinned. “They can’t steal photos that don’t exist anymore. Promise me you’ll just take one.”