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Sep 13·edited Sep 13Liked by Rey Katz (they/them)

So relatable Rey! When I was in my 20’s I was never taken seriously because I didn’t wear any makeup and my clothes were gender neutral. I liked to wear flannels and jeans most of the time. My then (and still is) boyfriend is 5 years older than me, people always talked to him. Very very annoying. FA in a store if I had a question, they would answer him. Hello, I was asking the question here!!

Loads of people are so biased and can only think in two flavours. If you’re to be taken seriously, you should look like you’re overly masculine or feminine, anything else must be children!!

My non binary kid is now 19 and getting the same BS.

I think this is why it’s so important for people to see many more “flavours” in media, because if you only know chocolate and vanilla, you’ll never recognise all the other wonderful flavours! Thank you for stepping up 🧡💛💜

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Very insightful, thank you for sharing! Yeah, it's so frustrating how people don't take us seriously if we aren't overly masculine or feminine as you said. I ask my partner to take my car to the mechanic or talk to customer service sometimes for this reason. Thanks for reading!

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It wasn't until I transitioned that anyone really started seeing me as an adult (and that's only because I'm now perceived as male), so I was often assumed to be "underage" well into my late 30s.

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Thanks for sharing!

I googled "how to look older with a young face" and the conventional answers were (for women) wear makeup and (for men) grow a beard. It's interesting how that's so tied into the standards of the gender binary.

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