Well, it's not so much envy as bad dysphoria. What do you expect? There's a heatwave on and suddenly all the women are in their bikinis ... except me. And, unusually, I'm not coping too well with that. I don't tend to suffer much dysmorphia about my body, but all of a sudden it's hit me. Maybe a friend emailing about her successful GRS, with FFS also scheduled, didn't help either. Don't get me wrong; I'm thrilled for her, but it's a bit hard to handle all of a sudden.
It'll pass. Like the ebb and flow of the tide, it comes and goes.
Passionflowers in bloom seems an apt photo to post here. These are in the hedgerows in the lane behind home.
Surf rock
Bikinis, summer, tides ... A number of people have blogged, commented and paid tribute to Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys who passed away last week. If you are into surf rock and ultra-cute sixties outfits then, depending on how much gender dysphoria you are currently experiencing, you may like/hate to visit the Surfrajettes website and YouTube channel. Beehives, matching minidresses, white go-go boots and, as they put it, "eyeliner as thick as their guitar strings".
I'd like the talent just to look that good, let alone play music!
The good stuff
Times are not good for the trans community in many parts of the world. Here in Italy they are mixed but I'd just like to pay tribute again to two sources of strength.
One is Elle Italia women's fashion magazine that resolutely supports the trans and broader queer community. Every other week there is an article on trans topics, e.g. how a parent should listen to their trans child; an interview with a trans person; life as a drag queen (see photo); and this week several articles supporting Pride. Thanks to Elle for positive allyship.
Pride itself seems to be attracting more and more support. Either people feel safer coming out or they feel the community needs more clout. Our regional Liguria Pride in the regional capital Genova at the weekend increased its attendance from 35,000 last year to 40,000 this year, despite the high temperatures.
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| Liguria Pride 2025 in Via XX Settembre, Genova, the regional capital's answer to London's Oxford Street. ( ©facebook.com/CoordinamentoLiguriaRainbow ) |
An impressive turnout, one to be proud of. Sorry I couldn't be there. (But a wig in that heat? Hmm.)
Have a good week, all.
Sue x
Sorry to hear that dysphoria has hit you hard. Sometimes I think that's one of the worst aspects of being trans. I hope you catch a break soon, and that you find a healthy way to cope.
ReplyDeleteGood to see Elle writing about queer culture. Representation and positive series take matter these days. Plus, date I say that for some of their readership, this is their life.
Pride events do seem to be ramping up this year and I know what you mean about the heat! 🙂
Thank you for your kind comment, Lynn. Much appreciated. I cope with the day-to-day dysphoria in a variety of ways and usually keep things on an even keel but just sometimes ... It's not so good just at the moment with all these semi-naked people around.
DeleteI'm certainly impressed and comforted by Elle's regular positive support. Maybe it has lots of queer readers, I don't know, although I get a hint that it might have quite a following among the lesbian community.
Sue x
I'm sorry to hear you're suffering from dysphoria, Sue, and I hope it passes before long. I recall from years back that a number of Tgirls preferred Winter as the clothing was less demanding of a not-so girly body!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the link to the Suffrajettes - I played one of their tracks and will be going back for more! But ... I can't help it ... if one girl group in recent years did affect my serotonin levels dysphorically, it's another Beach Boys cover, but from across the Pacific - The Barberettes - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCOUeqgYoLM. Luckily, I'm way too old now to attempt even the slightest emulation of their style ... I'd end up in plaster in hospital!
I think the Potus approach to trans is having a backlash across the free world, although the SC judgement in the UK is tempering that to an extent.
Nikki xxx
Thank you, Nikki. I appreciate your kind support.
DeleteI hate winter and love summer. But I also appreciate the wider, smarter range of clothes that winter offers and the lack of discomfort when wearing wig and makeup. We're never happy, lol!
Thank you for introducing me to the Barbarettes. This is the sort of fun that YouTube was invented for.
I wonder if the Trump chaos might make Britain have a serious look at its so-called "special relationship" with the US and turn away from American notions about the world. That might be beneficial to trans people in the UK. Associating transphobia with Trumpism will undoubtedly improve people's view of us elsewhere in the world.
Sue x
We used to have passionflowers (and ivy) up the front of the house. It was one of the things that attracted me to the house when we first saw it. Gone now. as L has taken to a scorched earth school of gardening. (The gnarly rosemary bush out back, one of the other attractions, proved a victim of a recent storm).
ReplyDeleteIt's not so much bikinis that invoke strong gender dysphoria, but girls wearing sleeveless tops with shorts or floaty skirts.
Someone played Wilson's 'Surf's Up' on the radio last week. It's a strange and elegiac song that wanders all over the place, not at all what you'd expect from a group that put out the cheerful bouncy Good Vibrations or California Girls.
Hurrah for Elle Italia. I winder if that's true of Elle generally?
Thank for your comments, Susie.
DeleteWe had passionflowers in the back garden where I grew up as a kid. Here they grow like crazy.
Dysphoria has so many triggers. I guess the sight of bodies that were 100% feminine with little being hidden was what did it for me.
I don't know about Elle magazine generally, which presumably has many different editions in different countries, but the local one's advocacy and support impresses me.
Sue x