Living In A Man's World

What really happens in the secret world of men? We asked four men who were born female to share their unique perspective on what it’s like to be parachuted into the opposite gender

- Lollie Barr

Have you ever daydreamed about what it would be like to ditch the heels, make-up and perpetual judgement of your looks, and flip genders to experience the world as a man? To find out how men really talk about women; to understand what all that testosterone really feels like; to see what male privilege is actually like? For those who have transitioned, crossing over has given them a unique insight into how both sexes operate. While they’ve always identified as male, they’ve been socialised as women, so they have the remarkable advantage of having viewed life from both perspectives. We spoke to three trans guys who shared their experiences on what it is like on the other side... TESTOSTERONE TALES

Hormones. As women, we are only too aware how they can affect our lives for the better (riding that joyous ovulation high), or for worse (hate-yourself-and everyone-else PMS). So what is it like to be flooded with testosterone, the male sex hormone that dictates a man’s life?

‘I started presenting as a boy from a very young age. [But] I gained confidence almost immediately after I started taking testosterone. I’m not sure if it was the testosterone alone or just the release of my anxiety when I started having my injections, but I knew from the very first injection that my life was about to become infinitely better,’ says Tebogo.