I want to preface by saying that this question is absolutely not coming from a place of (conscious) bigotry, I just do not personally understand the thought process behind this phenomenon and am completely willing to have my mind changed.
I find that a lot of younger trans men dress almost exclusively feminine. I do understand the concept of clothes not being equal to gender, but if the end goal of being trans is to change your appearance to fit your (presumably masculine) internal sense of self, then why do they choose to do the exact opposite?
I know that it can also be harmful to dismiss someone’s gender dysphoria or say that “they just don’t understand themselves,” because identity is a multilayered and deeply personal thing that I am sure varies widely from trans person to trans person— but at a certain point I begin to wonder whether “dysphoria” is actually just a response to internalized sexism, and why so many people decide that they must be trans even though they still feel internally femininely aligned.
Would non-binary not be a more fitting label? As in, they may feel more comfortable presenting feminine, but have an internal perception too complex to be categorized into either binary?
I don’t really understand, but want to for the sake of both curiosity and broadening my perspective— so if someone could share their experience with me or that of others, it would be much appreciated.