Trans Clippers Project Gives People A Chance To Reclaim Their Gender Expression During The Pandemic (because apparently having long hair temporarily is destructive to mental health and well-being)

submitted by koalayoga from wbur.org

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[–]koalayoga[S] 5 insightful - 1 fun5 insightful - 0 fun6 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

I saw this link in a Facebook group. The woman who posted it was introducing herself and had to make a big deal about identifying as "transmasculine" (whatever that means). The level of internal misogyny is frightening. God forbid someone who identifies as male or non-binary temporarily has to deal with long hair...as if such a thing is inherently feminine. I do feel sorry for these women - they must have experienced some sort of major trauma to be triggered over such little things, but I also feel the narcissism is way off the charts.

[–]InvisibleWoman 5 insightful - 1 fun5 insightful - 0 fun6 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

“For a lot of trans folks, we experience dysphoria, which for folks who don't know is a word that means a very strong of strong, deep discomfort with either parts of our body, and/or parts of our appearance that align with the sex that we were assigned at birth,"

Emphasis mine. I fully understand not liking the feeling of your hair being too long for your taste. I have short hair too, so I understand the feeling well. But, this kind of "boys have short hair, girls have long hair" thinking is exactly the sort of harmful genderist dogma that's making these people so unhappy. It seems like for many, especially nbies, their dysphoria is based on social perceptions of their sex. Really makes me sad the women who need it the most might never learn about radical feminism.

[–]hellamomzilla 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (4 children)

As a woman who has worn my hair short for the majority of my over a half-a-century on earth, my shaggy hair is making me FUCKING CRAZY. There's a reason I like it short -- it's easy, it's cool, it takes nothing more than washing, parting it, and I'm DONE. (In a world where I go out and about and have a life, I put some gunk in it to make it piece-y, but I don't bother when it's just my family and strangers at the grocery store once a week.)

I got a haircut right before the lockdown in California. It's been 16 fucking weeks. In that time, I would have normally had at least two haircuts. I don't want to shave my head -- I want my cute, pixie cut. I want it close up the back and on the sides and my bangs and the top to be precisely-razored for texture.

I am going to literally cry when I can go to my stylist again. I don't feel like me in some ways. So, I know why ANYONE would want to look the way they want to look.

[–]motionlessoracle 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

Same, except... Not same.

I've been rocking a short cut for ages. Like you, I enjoy the easy care of it. The wash and get on with my life aspect. Like you, my hair hasn't been professionally cut for months.

I differ from you, though, in that I don't feel unlike myself now that it's longer. I rarely look in a mirror. I certainly don't take selfies. When my hair became long enough to annoy me, I cropped the annoying bits back a little with a pair of scissors and got on with more important tasks.

Feeling out of sorts when you don't look a certain way is a bit concerning, to be honest. Everyone knows right now that people are not going to look their best. We have an excuse not to please anyone else's gaze or our internalized sense of the world looking at us. Are you not still you, scruffy hair and all? (A hairdo is not a personality.)

[–]hellamomzilla 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Seriously? I also don't feel completely myself in a dress. I mean, I like having short hair. I've worn my hair that way for the vast bulk of my life. I don't think it's weird AT ALL. I'm not saying I'm not myself, just that I'm uncomfortable with hair in my eyes and sweaty and sticky on my neck. I don't like it.

And, I never said what I feel, AS A BIOLGICAL WOMAN WITH SHORT HAIR, was the same as transidentifying males. I was just expressing my opinion. And, since you actually don't know me, back off. I absolutely NEVER TAKE SELFIES. I'm not performing a presentation for other people. This is how I like to look with a part of myself which is normally easy to maintain and keep the way I like. I don't give a shit if ANYONE likes to wear their hair long. You are really reaching to make what I said both in support of transidentifying males and somehow making myself look weird or damaged.

[–]koalayoga[S] 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

Except, you aren't having volunteers come and cut your hair because you are so fragile you are at risk of suicide over it.

[–]hellamomzilla 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

True, but I was simply expressing MY OWN FEELINGS as a woman with short hair. Just because women want to act like it's an unknown feeling only applicable to males pretending to be women doesn't mean it IS.