Experiencing Gender Euphoria

Gender Dysphoria's Inverted Cousin

I'm sure you've heard of gender dysphoria. The textbook definition is when someone feels unease between their body and their gender identity. This ends up being a lot of the narrative about the transgender experience in the media and elsewhere. But did you know that there's an inverted cousin to gender dysphoria called gender euphoria? Unlike gender dysphoria, anyone can experience gender euphoria.

An example of gender euphoria is that I have a friend who likes to go to the gym. He's been going for at least twenty years and he enjoys lifting weights, which builds and tones his muscles. When he's going to the gym and building his muscles, he's affirming his male identity and experiencing gender euphoria.

Gender euphoria was one of the major ways that clued me in that I am transgender. Over Labor Day weekend in 2023, I had been growing out my nails and I got them done in a feminine style for the first time in my life. It was a simple French manicure, but it was clearly a style that presented feminine. I looked at these beautiful nails both while the service was going and when I was done, and I just couldn't believe that I had nails like this.

At this point I knew that I was transgender/transfeminine, but was not out yet, and was extremely nervous about what it meant to come out or if I could even do it. But being able to walk around with these wonderous nails had me on cloud nine. This propelled me ahead and gave me the confidence to start coming out to a number of people that week. Just a few days later, after carrying these new nails around with me and finally showing the world a slice of who I was, it propelled me ahead to come out. But this is by no means the only time I've felt the magical powers of gender euphoria.

I felt it when I started HRT (hormones)

I felt it when I went to Sephora and had a makeup lesson. They selected makeup that would work well with my skin and complexion (which is especially difficult for me to do as I'm color blind).

I felt gender euphoria when I got my ears pierced.

I felt gender euphoria when I first wore a bra and had my own tissue filling the cups.

I felt gender euphoria when I finally got my hair styled in a way that I liked (this took months to do).

I felt gender dysphoria when my ears finally healed and I could replace the studs for large hoop earrings.

I feel it to this day when people call me Veronica.

I still feel it when I get my nails done or I look at my hands and appreciate how beautiful my nails are. As I'm still pretty new to living as my true self, it has been so affirming to have a nails that are so freaking beautiful to look at that are a part of me. Many folks have asked me how I function with nails like this and it so straight forward because they help me feel really good about myself on the daily.

I feel gender euphoria regularly. It serves as the announcement to myself of who I really am. It affirms that it's OK that I can finally be myself. Yes, gender dysphoria has the narrative in the public consciousness, but there’s a ton of value in talking about the day to day joy that we should all feel. Everyone should be able to feel gender euphoria. I does not matter if you're cis, trans, nonbinary, or another identity, if you haven't ever felt gender euphoria, are you sure you're on the right path?