Caitlyn Jenner has brought a lot of attention to the issues of transgendered people, allowing room for teens, like young YouTuber Jamie Raines, to feel more accepted coming out and revealing their transformation. Three years ago, Jamie began taking testosterone pills in order to change his body to match his heart.
He decided to document the transformation by taking a selfie every day for an entire year. Unfortunately, results took longer to arrive than he expected as the young man explains, “…I didn’t get any facial hair in my first year.” Thus, Jamie extended his the selfie documentary project for several more years. It was in the second year that the subtle changes to Jamie’s facial structure started to become much more pronounced. He lost the chubbiness in his cheeks and his face became longer, even his nose was changing shape. And, finally, in the third year the first whiskers of facial hair began to sprout.
At the end, he has a full mustache and a goatee. In three shorts years, Jamie had undergone an incredible transformation that allowed him to offer some sage advice to others embarking on a similar journey”:
“Patience is going to be your best friend during the transition. It’s great to be surrounded with a circle of family and friends or a community that will have your back – whether it be in real life or through the Internet. Ask questions of transgendered who’ve been through the transition. It seems it will take forever for things to begin but then when it does, the changes come super quickly.”
The 1,400 selfies documenting Jamie’s transition from beginning to end are definite proof of that. It is a very good thing that our society is becoming more open and accepting of all walks of gender identification and sexual orientation. It’s nice to know that as a collective we are opening up and accepting reality as it is – though we still have a very long way to go.