4 Trans Women on Beauty’s Role in Gender-Affirming Care

Beauty has never been superficial, but for trans and nonbinary individuals, it’s especially significant in providing a means for connection, euphoria, and survival. Beauty, you see, offers a sense of security—not only to physically exist in a world facing increased anti-trans violence, especially against people of color, and an influx of anti-trans legislation, but also to comfortably grow into your own gender identity at your own pace.

Jari Jones puts it perfectly. Applying makeup allows you to create your own baseline, the actress, model, and activist tells me. “Those who think [beauty] is superficial probably have the privilege of getting to their baseline quicker,” she says. “We’re living in a world where trans people are being persecuted everywhere we go. We’re being harmed. If putting on makeup gives me safety—whether that’s safety to pass or just to feel strong, encouraged, and confident to go out into the world—then that’s what I’m going to do. And no one can fault me for that.” Beauty is power; beauty is joy—ahead, four trans women discuss the gender-affirming products, routines, and memories that have helped them discover their own.

The first beauty product Emira D’Spain ever used was a purple lipstick. She spotted it nestled in her mother’s vanity, and even at 8 years old, she knew it was fabulous. “I’d put the lipstick on, and I’d paint my nails with whatever she had in there,” she recounts. “I would wear it around the house, and my parents were like, ‘Okay, go off, diva.'”