What if I Transition and I Will be Unattractive?
"If I transition, I'm going to be ugly"—Dr. Z explains why this fear is based on skewed perception and why you'll be happier anyway.
Your inner voice says: "If I transition, I'm going to be ugly [woman/man/non-binary person/person period]." Or "I'm not going to be passable," "I'm never going to be taken seriously," "I'm never going to be seen as..." All these words communicate the same thing: you're not going to achieve the image of yourself you carry inside your head if you transition. You're telling yourself it's unachievable.
Here's what Dr. Z wants you to know: You don't know what you're capable of. You really don't. When you look in the mirror, you see everything that natal hormone has done to your body—everything you're NOT. You have a very hard time imagining everything you COULD BE. That's how our minds work—everyone has a skewed, narrow, myopic view of themselves. You're not seeing with your eyes, you're seeing with your mind. Your eyes can no longer be objective observers.
Watch to find out why the worst scenario you envision will never be as bad as you think, why moving the needle with little steps makes you feel better and reshapes how you see yourself, and why "I will NEVER be attractive" is based on current distress—not possibilities.
