Call for older women's true stories of their body Dysphoria ( can be anonymous)

[StellaCartoonist]

Stephanie Davies- Aria of Transgendertrend.com is collecting true stories from older women ( 50+ ) who experienced their own body Dysphoria, how they coped, how their parents coped, and how they grew up.
They can be anonymous (but the website does ask for a real email address).
Stephanie is interested in publishing them on transgendertrend.com as a series, to inform and educate teens, their parents, and teachers.
Any experiences, good or bad, the idea is to show positivity, that it is possible to live through the trauma of puberty/ dysphoria and come out as a strong adult woman.
If there are enough stories, it might even make a book.
Stephanie is looking for women of all backgrounds and ethnicities, whether you grew up "straight or Lesbian, feminist or feminine". ( Her words).
Please send your story via the website, or send a preliminary message first.
Stephanie apologises that in the run up to the 'big announcement' from Liz Truss, she is very busy, but she will look at every submission and get back to you.

[Coyoacan]

I've read this and I'm wondering about social contagion in mental health.

I'm nearly 70 and if there was anorexia and bulemia around when I was young, I wasn't aware of it. I did verge on anorexia at one point, but I thought it was entirely my own idea.

I must have been about 23 when I heard of someone with bulemia, though there was no word for that condition. Whereas my dd had lots of friends with those conditions.

I wanted to be a boy when I was a child because I always preferred boys' games, toys and company. And in those days, us girls weren't even allowed to use the gym at our primary school, let alone play football or rugby. I hated dresses and boys were allowed more freedom. I can't claim I had dysphoria, but I know if I'd been told that I could change sex, I would have jumped at the chance.

[Iamhangingin]

I am 39 so slightly outside that demographic, but I do feel there should be more research into links with eating disorders. Awareness of eating disorders was prevelent during my teens although my experience as being bulimic was that access to NHS help was very limited and focused on those who were very underweight.

I did go through a phase of dressing as male in around age 17, cutting my hair and remember getting a kick out of being addressed as make and relief from opting out of having to be attracted to men. But it was short lived - unlike my eating disorder which remains a daily battle! I suspect most body issues are pervasive and hard to get over, but I do worry many girls are not getting their underlying eating disorders treated which is setting them up for life long issues. I know some really sad cases of women my age and older living with anorexia and the toll on their bodies is horrific to see.

[midgebabe]

Just using the contact us link or is there a specific page?