foxglove (she/her)

This sounds a bit related to David Graeber’s concept of “Bullshit Jobs”.

Honestly, desire is a justification on its own. If you have limited resources, then it’s really about whether you can afford to prioritize those desires or not. For those with enough money, desire is enough of a reason to justify a purchase.

Without enough money, the question is whether the desire outweighs other more practical ways that money could be spent. When I was depressed sometimes I would make irrational spending choices because it helped me feel good and even helped me pretend I was not as poor as I actually was, by spending the money irrationally I could create the illusion of having more money than I had. This was a dangerous game, though.

That all makes sense, desiring looking at something beautiful or attractive.

Re envy: that’s interesting, so you would like to be able to be like women in that you would like to be able to be beautiful, delicate, desirable and so on?

I think some men can be considered beautiful and desirable - I’m sure women would describe men like Pedro Pascal as being beautiful and desirable 😅 But I hear what you mean that in general women are seen as desired and men as the one desiring, in a sense. I think that’s largely social, though I do think estrogen does create traits that we might see as beautiful, such as soft skin, for example.

I guess I wonder if you have any examples of beautiful, delicate, or desirable men, and whether you would prefer to be that, or if you could press a button if you would just choose to have been born a woman instead?

That’s interesting, why do you think in video games you want to play a pretty character that can wear gorgeous outfits?

Izzard identifies as genderfluid[94][95] and calls herself “somewhat boy-ish and somewhat girl-ish”.[18] She uses the word “transgender” as an umbrella term.[96] When asked in 2019 what pronouns she preferred, Izzard responded, “either ‘he’ or ‘she’” and explained, “If I am in boy mode, then ‘he’, or girl mode, ‘she’”.[97] In 2020, she requested she/her pronouns for an appearance on the TV show Portrait Artist of the Year and said she wants “to be based in girl mode from now on”.[98] In March 2023, she announced that she would begin using the name Suzy in addition to Eddie, saying that she is “going to be Suzy Eddie Izzard”.[2][1] Explaining that she had wanted to use the name Suzy since she was 10 years old, she added that people “can choose” which name they want to use to refer to her,[1][2] and that she would keep using Eddie Izzard as her public name since it is more widely recognised.[99]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddie_Izzard#Personal_life

for the lazy ^

Have you ever worn women’s clothes outside that, or wanted to? How has it felt if you did?

!egg_irl@lemmy.blahaj.zone

the smoothie was too good 🥵

amazing list, thank you!

I would start here:

• Gender Dysphoria Bible
• Whipping Girl by Julia Serano
• Sexed Up by Julia Serano

Then if you want to get more in the weeds, here are some science articles on the topic:

• Joshua Safer’s “Evidence supporting the biologic nature of gender identity” (DOI)
• Joshua Safer’s “Etiology of Gender Identity” (DOI)
• the collective research of Daphna Joel and Dick Swaab for the current scientific theories of “brain-sex” (which likely plays a role in gender identity and gender dysphoria):
  • Joel & Swaab, 2019, “The Complex Relationships between Sex and the Brain”, (DOI)
  • Joel, 2015, “Sex beyond the genetalia: The human brain mosaic”, (DOI)
  • Swaab, 2008, “A sex difference in the hypothalamic uncinate nucleus: relationship to gender identity”, (DOI)
  • Swaab, 2000, “Male-to-female transsexuals have female neuron numbers in a limbic nucleus”, (DOI)
  • Swaab, 1995, “A sex difference in the human brain and its relation to transsexuality”, (DOI)

Reading Swaab’s work in particular was eye-opening, since trans women whose brains were autopsied were found to have structures in their brain that were like cis women and not like cis men, even without ever undergoing hormone therapy. While the picture that emerges with later research did not point to something as simple as “male” and “female” brains, it is particularly grounding to have empirical evidence like this that lends credibility to trans experiences. For example it really is more accurate to say trans women have a “female brain” than to say trans women are merely mentally ill, as though the gender identity were due to delusions or psychosis.

If reading scientific literature is challenging, the famous neuroendocrinologist, Robert Sapolsky, has some talks that summarize the situation:

• Neuro-biology of trans-sexuality: Prof. Robert Sapolsky
• Robert Sapolsky: Brain Gender

Other video overviews on the science of sex & gender:

• Julia Serano’s “Trans People and Biological Sex: What the Science Says”
• Forrest Valkai’s “Sex & Sensibility”

Re trans care and its clinical relevance: this Cornell University systematic literature review summarizes research done on the effects of transition on well-being, and links to 51 different studies that collectively indicate that gender-affirming care improves the well-being of trans people:

What We Know Project, Cornell University, “What Does the Scholarly Research Say about the Effect of Gender Transition on Transgender Well-Being?”, 2018.

This was also an excellent overview of the history of trans healthcare and why it’s important and recommended by every medical association not just for trans adults but also for trans minors:

“Care, Not Controversy” by bio-ethicist Ian D. Wolfe

Also on the academic / intellectual side:

• Feminist Perspectives on Trans Issues, and anything else written by trans philosopher Talia Mae Bettcher (e.g. “Trapped in the Wrong Theory”, “When Selves have Sex”, and esp. “Evil Deceivers and Make Believers”
• anything by Jacob C. Hale, e.g. “Are Lesbians Women?”
• anything by Florence Ashley esp. “What Is It like to Have a Gender Identity?” and “Don’t Be So Hateful” (Note: you can download any of their published articles from her personal website)
• video essays by ContraPoints, but esp. trans related videos like Are Tr*ps Gay?, JK Rowling, Autogynephilia, The Witch Trials of JK Rowling, Pronouns, Transtrenders, Gender Critical
• Transgender History by Susan Stryker
• various books by Judith Butler like Gender Trouble (note: might not be worth reading, their gender theory is discredited and their writing is difficult to parse, but Butler has undeniable influence and relevance anyway)

If you wanted more personal accounts like trans fiction and memoirs, check out:

• Mia Violet’s memoir: Yes, You Are Trans Enough
• everything by Casey Plett (Little Fish, A Safe Girl to Love, etc.)
• Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters
• Nevada by Imogen Binnie
• Leslie Feinberg’s Stone Butch Blues (fiction) and Transgender Warriors (non-fiction)
• Janet Mock’s Redefining Realness
• Jacob Tobia’s memoir: Sissy
• Maia Kobabe’s Gender Queer
• Lewis Hancox’s Welcome to St. Hell
• Kate Bornstein’s Gender Outlaw

Let me know if you have any questions!

TIL https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gwangju_Uprising

is there a way to de-paywall 404media.co?

that’s high praise 😳‼️🙈