Dylan Mulvaney’s Inspiring Journey Through Facial Feminization to Transgender Icon
Dylan Mulvaney admits that she realized she wanted to be a girl at the age of 4. She decided to turn her dream into reality and embarked on a transformation journey. Sharing her path on social media, she unexpectedly became a trans icon and influencer, a role she never anticipated for herself.
Mulvaney’s following on TikTok grew to 1 million within just 5 days of her starting her daily journal.
Dylan Mulvaney is a professional actress, comedian, and transgender rights activist. In 2020, when she found herself without a job and unable to do what she loved, she downloaded TikTok, thinking, “It’s an app for kids.” When she came out as a woman, she started her famous series, Day X of Being a Girl, where she openly spoke to her audience every day as she went on her transition journey.
When she started making videos, she had no idea how it would change her life.
Although many people share their trans journeys online, Mulvaney never saw one that started from the very beginning, so, to take matters into her own hands, she started making videos, mostly for her close family and friends. Soon after, the videos became both a how-to and behind-the-scenes type of series for present and future trans people that needed answers. Despite this, her content is for everyone, not just the LGBTQAI+ community.
The best part, according to Mulvaney, is seeing people feel inspired to be themselves as well as getting thousands of messages of hope, acceptance, and support. The love she receives keeps her energy levels high.
The way Mulvaney speaks directly to her audience feels like a FaceTime call with your best friend. Her one-on-one, direct way of addressing the camera, combined with her genuine storytelling of her daily experience, creates an instant bond with her viewers.
The activist recently went though facial feminization surgery.
Facial feminization surgery is a wide array of procedures that aim to change the shape of the face to make it look more feminine. This can consist of things like creating a smaller forehead by moving the hairline, having lips and cheeks augmented, or having the nose, chin, and jaw re-shaped. These techniques are used to help transgender women physically transition to their self-affirmed gender.
After a short hiatus on social media, Mulvaney returned with an impressive comeback, making her debut appearance at the 2023 Grammy Awards, and the results speak for themselves. Just take a look below.
Mulvaney believes she is extremely privileged to have had the procedure and wants to stress this is not a typical surgery, saying, “Had I not been trans, these wouldn’t have been changes that I sought out, but because of my gender dysphoria, I felt I needed it. I want us to all start viewing FFS as important as other gender-affirming healthcare.”
Recently, Dylan was named “Woman of the Year” by Attitude, an LGBTQ magazine, and was also included in the Forbes 30 Under 30 list. Nevertheless, Dylan continues to face hate. Recently, she finally updated her passport, officially reflecting her female gender. This once again stirred up a wave of negativity among people. However, Dylan knows how to combat negativity and not take it close to her heart. She is happy to be who she is right now.
“And I want there to be a mutual respect — and not only for me, but also for my community,” she said.
People who openly share their journeys can be a source of inspiration and support for others on similar paths. For instance, Elliot Page’s story has become inspiring for thousands of transgender individuals.