It seems like a lot of people are just not reading the article or the context of the quote:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2023/07/27/the-witcher-casting-director-says-yennefer-casting-was-to-challenge-beauty-standards-which-is-completely-insane/

Now, this is not Holland saying that Chalotra is ugly, or that they cast someone ugly to play the role of the most beautiful woman in the world. … Rather, Holland is saying that she is challenging the “standard of beauty” by casting a woman with slightly darker skin.

I do understand that traditional Western fantasy is predominantly white, but I disagree fundamentally with the notion that the “standard of beauty” for most people is being white. I don’t think anyone in the entire world outside of a tiny, tiny sliver of absolute racist scumbags would look at Anya Chalotra and think anything other than “This woman is jaw-droppingly gorgeous.” Casting Chalotra may challenge our perceptions of fantasy as white (a complicated discussion on its own) but it does nothing to challenge any standard of beauty.

Emphasis is mine.

ah, that makes sense - thank you for your help ❤️

💀💀💀

(danke, ich verstehe jetzt, leider)

Ja, aber was bedeutet Zangendeutsch und Zuhausis?

(Ehrlich kenne ich sie nicht.)

EDIT:

https://www.bedeutungonline.de/was-ist-zangendeutsch-woerterbuch-erklaerung-bedeutung/

So es bedeutet ein wörtliche Verdeutschung z.B. Großfuß für “Bigfoot”, aber warum “Zange”?

Tut mir Leid, mein Deutsch ist schrecklich (vielleich A-2 oder B-1).

You didn’t fact-check how many trans people there are in the U.S.¹

It looks to be between 0.5% and 1.6% of the total U.S. population (2 - 6 in 400).

References:

• https://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/Trans-Pop-Update-Jun-2022.pdf
• https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2022/06/07/about-5-of-young-adults-in-the-u-s-say-their-gender-is-different-from-their-sex-assigned-at-birth/

Semi-related, the number of intersex people (in the literature they talk about people with “disorders of sexual development”) have also been estimated to be around 1% of the population (4 in 400), source:

https://www.nature.com/articles/518288a

¹ yes, the U.S. isn’t mentioned in the OP, but your sources are looking at U.S. demographics and so I will continue with the U.S.-centrism already present.

Some Thoughts (oh boy):

There is a weird logic to pointing out how few trans people there are actually are in the OP. Even if there were many more trans people, (like if there really were 1 in 5 trans people as is commonly mis-perceived), would that make the GOP’s campaign of fear-mongering and animus any more justified? I don’t think this is what Shon (@gayblackvet) was going for, but it almost seems like a consequence of how the message was written.

Maybe I’m wrong here, but does it seem like way it is written implies that the problem is not that the trans panic is unjustified in its fear of trans people, but that it is merely blown out of proportion? Maybe the angle was that even if we assume trans people are a problem, it’s still so few people it’s not worth all this panic and legislation (there are >500 anti-trans bills in the U.S. right now, over 40 of them have already passed).

Rhetorically this perspective-taking might be effective in appealing to mildly transphobic centrists or moderate conservatives who are not entirely comfortable with trans people but who might not want to be perceived as transphobic and don’t want to be associated with the rabid and vocal transphobia of the GOP.

That wedge between a more moderate closeted transphobe and a more openly transphobic right-wing one is politically useful, so I am not necessarily complaining, but there is a concern here about whether tackling transphobia is really the goal here, and if so how we should best go about that.

Agreeing with everyone else, Potentilla indica seems likely. The fruits taste watery, not desirable but not toxic.

haha, fat definitely increases calories, though I find it’s less directly fattening because it doesn’t seem to increase insulin resistance the way simple carbs and sugars do (and insulin seems key to controlling your weight). Though targeting insulin resistance is like aiming to get diabetes, so I don’t suggest it, lol. Still, it gives you a way to really gain weight.

I’m not the most fond of sugar though I think I crave it more since starting HRT. I do typically crave simple carbs like bread, potato chips, etc. - eating more simple carbs can definitely be another way to fatten up (they’re often not as filling either!). I have noticed stress tends to push me towards eating high calorie foods like simple carbs, sugars, and fats, and Robert Sapolsky talks about the mechanism for this in Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers.

aww, that’s wonderful to hear! You’re lucky to have a supportive mom - so glad she’s there to help you!!

If you want to gain weight it helps to incorporate high-calorie foods that don’t stimulate the over-full feeling, so something high in sugar like soda or ice cream. Obviously eating enough of that can cause metabolic disorders, but over time eating these kinds of foods will be fattening, though it can take a bit of time as your basal metabolism will increase and burn up the extra calories at first. Just be moderate I guess, obviously these are unhealthy tips, lol.

I have the opposite problem though, I struggle with losing weight and not over-eating (even when I’m eating really healthy foods). Fasting has helped me lose weight, personally.

It’s probably not a healthy tip, but I think there were some studies that showed being overweight led to more breast growth. It sorta makes sense, the breasts are a place where excess fat is stored. That said, being overweight creates lots of other health risks, so it’s probably not good to target that as much as fat cycling where you shed and put on weight might be part of a strategy of transitioning.

Have you talked to your doctor about it?

Just reading briefly, it’s normal to have low prolactin levels (less than 25 ng/mL) for women who aren’t pregnant. If you were trying to prepare to breastfeed and your levels remained low that might be something to talk to your doctor about. However, I wouldn’t worry about it for normal breast growth.

The things you should focus on to promote good breath growth are things that keep you in good health generally, like

• eating a healthy and diverse diet (e.g. incorporate more salads with vegetables and nuts, choose less refined sources of carbs like whole wheat instead of white bread, etc.),
• staying hydrated (keep water by you all day and drink it regularly),
• avoiding drug use (especially tobacco and alcohol),
• keeping good sleep hygiene (helpful PDF),
• regularly exercising (both aerobic and strength training, aim for 1 - 2 hours of intense aerobic activity per week),
• reducing stress (including worrying about your prolactin levels, lol; meditation can help with stress reduction & helping to identify and redirect unhelpful thoughts; recommended reading: Judson Brewer’s Unwinding Anxiety, and for a meditation manual, The Mind Illuminated by John Yates).

Congrats!! Wishing you an uneventful recovery! ❤️

Ich hatte anfangs kein Joda gesehen, vielleicht ich brauche neue Brille auch.

Yes, I recommend watching all those videos. They were what finally forced me to admit I was probably trans and that I should at least try hormones and socially transitioning to see whether it made things better or not.

Been feeling a little bit weird gender-wise the past couple days. Yesterday especially was a “butch” day for me, spent a lot of time working in the garden in my overalls, talked to my neighbor in boy-mode. I can’t bring myself to tell them I’m transitioning because they’re a right-wing sovereign citizen and I think it would probably kill an otherwise cooperative and amicable relationship (don’t exactly want to feel unsafe in my own home). Still, it’s getting harder to hide my breasts and my face is obviously different after almost 5 months of HRT.

Managed to get my name changed with my employer after getting my updated social security card. Mailed off my passport and waiting for that.

Also learned that my state recently passed legislation that prevents me from updating my gender marker on any legal forms of ID, so I won’t be able to update my gender marker on my driver’s license. I think it’s probably illegal and there is already a lawsuit by the ACLU, so I’m basically just waiting for the litigation to overturn the new law.

Otherwise I have unprecedented amounts of energy and ability to handle stress. I’ve been baking a lot for other people, and going to a lot of social events, even opting to go to social events on my own (something I have never done in my life; I only have ended up in social situations through obligation and pressure from others in the past). Life is really different on estrogen, much better than I could have anticipated.

hey congrats, that’s amazing!

I recommend watching this video if you haven’t already: Common Excuses to Avoid Transitioning

thanks for migrating my comment!

Can confirm, I still don’t know that I’m trans, all I know is that I started HRT and transitioned socially and I still like it so I keep doing it. Sometimes you just have to admit it’s scary and you’re taking a gamble, but you can always take stock and see if the transition is still right for you. It can feel like you have to commit up-front and know for sure, but I’m not sure anyone knows for sure.

When I’m feeling the most doubt I like to sit down and write out the reasons I think I’m trans or why I think I might not be trans. Usually by writing it out I am confronted with all the reasons I have for transitioning and I feel better, more grounded in my choices. I think this is probably just fear and internalized transphobia that causes me to endlessly doubt and question whether I’m actually trans.

Not a sports-bra, but I love the bralette I got from pact:

https://wearpact.com/women/underwear/bras/lace smooth cup bralette/wb1-wbb-fgn

Only issue I’ve had is that I can’t cinch the straps tight enough so sometimes they slip down a little.