Metamorphosis

About This Project

In this self-portrait drawing, titled “Metamorphosis”, I delve into the intricacies of identity and body image. As a trans person, I grew up feeling out of place in both the world and my body. I felt trapped in own my skin and so desperately wanted to rip it off because I knew the real me was underneath it all. I didn’t want anyone to see me because they wouldn’t be seeing the real me. The person in the mirror was a stranger, and I avoided her. But after years of struggling, I was reborn. In between all the chaos of last year, I had surgery on my chest and started hormone replacement therapy to look masculine. When drawing this piece, I felt like I was seeing myself for the first time. This is how I want the world to see me. I wanted to convey that in this drawing—the feeling of being liberated. I have undergone a metamorphosis, and I used the open chest to symbolize that. The flowers within the ribs are representative of growth and femininity, because although I now appear male, I embrace my feminine side and that will always be apart of who I am. I am open to the world now, and I no longer feel as if I have to hide who I am. I want to be seen, scars and all.