This story is from the comments listed below, summarised by AI.
Authenticity Assessment: Not Suspicious
Based on the provided comments, the account appears authentic. There are no serious red flags suggesting it is a bot or an inauthentic actor.
The comments demonstrate:
- Personal, nuanced experience: The user shares specific, emotionally resonant details about body image, mental health, and the social experience of being female.
- Consistent, thoughtful advice: The advice is cautious, balanced, and focuses on introspection and practical steps (like exercise), rather than pushing a rigid agenda.
- Plausible perspective: The focus on misogyny and the difficulty of accepting a female body in a patriarchal society is a well-documented reason for gender dysphoria and a common topic in detransition discussions.
The passion and criticism of societal pressures align with the expected viewpoint of a genuine desister.
About me
I started as a teenager, born female and horrified by my body changing during puberty. I thought transitioning was my only way out of the deep discomfort and dysphoria I felt. But I found new perspective by seeing butch women living freely and by building strength through exercise. I realized my problem wasn't being female, but with the restrictive box society puts women in. Now, I'm learning to accept myself as a woman on my own terms without medical intervention.
My detransition story
My whole journey with gender started when I was a teenager. I was born female and as I hit puberty, I became absolutely mortified by the changes in my body. I hated my breasts developing and everything becoming more feminine. I hated dresses and anything girly, and I never really got along with other girls. It felt like my body was betraying my personality.
The world made it so much worse. I'm thin and my body is unmistakably female, so people would ogle me and treat me like I was vulnerable and weak. I felt like being a woman was a weakness. It was really dissociating to grow into a woman in a world where every part of a woman's body is seen as a detriment. How can you accept your breasts or your body as your own when everyone around you treats them like public property to comment on, want to change, or even touch without consent? Puberty is intense for everyone, but when your new body parts are so hypersexualized, it feels really weird and wrong.
I also have depression, generalized anxiety disorder, and ADHD. I'm still not sure if that was a part of my gender dysphoria, the cause of it, or just something that existed alongside it. But what is true is that all of those things made it harder to cope.
For a long time, I thought transitioning was the only answer. I thought taking testosterone and getting surgery would fix the deep discomfort I felt. But I started to really think about it. I realized that going on T doesn't guarantee people will see you as a man. I had to consider how it would feel if I went on it and the results were underwhelming or upsetting. I also thought a lot about surgeries like a hysterectomy and how that would make me dependent on hormones for life, which is a serious commitment.
What really helped me change my perspective was following butch women on social media. Seeing their diversity in weight, muscle, stature, and body hair completely opened up my restrictive expectations for how women are allowed to exist and look. It showed me there wasn't just one way to be a woman.
The other thing that helped me tremendously was exercise. All physical activity helped me connect with my body in a new way. I started to gain confidence from what my body could do—its strength and ability—instead of constantly fighting against how it looked. That shift was huge for me.
Looking back, I don't think my problem was ever truly with being female. My problem was with the box that society tries to force females into, and with the misogyny that teaches us that female bodies are weak and undesirable. I had a lot of internalized shame about being a woman.
I don't regret exploring transition because it led me to this understanding, but I am glad I didn't medically transition. I don't regret not going through with it. My journey was about learning to separate my own self-worth from how the world sees my body. I'm learning to accept myself as a woman on my own terms.
Here is a timeline of my journey based on my experiences:
| Age | Event |
|---|---|
| 12-13 | Started puberty; began feeling intense discomfort and hatred toward my developing female body. |
| Teen Years | Felt deep alienation from femininity and other girls; diagnosed with depression, anxiety, and ADHD. |
| Early 20s | Seriously considered medical transition (testosterone and top surgery) as a solution to my dysphoria. |
| 23 | Researched transition deeply; decided against medical intervention after considering the potential outcomes and health implications. |
| 23 | Found community and perspective by following butch women online and focusing on physical exercise and strength. |
| Present (24) | Working on self-acceptance and understanding the role of misogyny and internalized shame in my experience. |
Top Comments by /u/cheerlessThinker1122:
I think that's a valid concern. A hysterectomy will cause issues in the short and long-term. In any case of emergency, you will be dependant on hormones.
If you think you might be able to go on without that as part of your treatment, it might be important to try
It's important to consider that going on T doesn't mean people will perceive you as a man. It might work really well, but it also might not. So just take into consideration how it would feel if you go on it, and the results are underwhelming or upsetting. It might still be worth it, but it's good to mentally prepare for a less than ideal outcome.
Regarding muscle mass, I think T isn't a solution for that. If a guy was considering taking testosterone to build muscle, it wouldn't be considered healthy. So on that front try to change habits that have the impact you want, but don't use testosterone as a short cut to get bigger.
So, if you're mindful that it isn't a perfect treatment, but still think it's worth it, and suited to you, then good luck! I hope you are able to decide and enjoy it
Try following butch women on social media. That helped me open up the restrictive expectations I had for how women should exist. Diversity in weight, muscle, stature and body hair.
Other than that, exercise. All physical activity helps you connect with your body. For me, the most valuable confidence was living what my body could do, instead of trying to accept how my body looked.
I think misogyny is a big one. It's pretty dissociating to grow into a woman in a world where every part of a woman's body is detrimental to her. How can you accept breasts or ass as yours when everyone around you treats them as their property to comment on, want to change and even touch without consent. like puberty in general can be intense with developing new body parts, but in a worl where this body parts are hypersexualized, it's definitely weird.
I really resonate with everything you wrote. Hating dresses, and everything femenine, not really getting along with girls. Being mortified when my body became more femenine. I fucking hated being seen as a woman. I'm thin, and my body is unmistakably female, so people would oggle me and treat me as vulnerable and weak. I felt like my body betrayed my personality.
I also have depression, generalized anxiety disorder and ADHD. I'm not sure whether that was part of my GD, the cause, or just something beside it. What is true is that I felt being a woman was a weakness.
My only advice would be to truly think whether transitioning will solve your disphoria. Most likely, people will always read you as female. So just reflect on whether changing your voice and body hair will solve your GD.