Transformation Tuesday, Doctor’s Office Bathroom edition.

Left photo was one month on HRT, right is 21 months. Take note of where the hinge is on the door. No, it’s not just the camera angle, I really have lost an inch and a half of height. It’s weird when I put on 1.5” heels, see the world the way I used to, and wonder “wtf, I was this tall once?” It’s surreal.

The reason this happens is because ligament changes cause the pelvis to rotate forward, increasing the curvature of the spine and pushing the butt outward (note, this is not the same as the hip rotation that happens in pubescent cis girls). The result is a loss of torso length, usually 1-2 inches. For me it happened slowly over the first eighteen months, I measured at 5’ 8.5" the day of my first HRT appointment, then 5’8" at 6 months, 5’7.5" at 12 months, and 5’7.0" at 18 months. There’s been no further change after that.

I remember that after that office visit I went to Walmart and decided to keep wearing the cardigan. While in line for checkout the cashier and two women in line with me struck up a conversation about my shoes, a pair of rainbow colored Nike’s. I realized that because of the shoes and the cardigan, I was being read as a gay man, and that made me less threatening to the women. It was the first taste I’d had of the female camaraderie that was yet to come, and it made me feel so incredibly excited about my future.