The New Girl Quotes

“When I was little, my sister had a pretty jewellery box. Inside was a ballerina that denoted one idea of feminine beauty with her dainty waist, pink tulle skirt and gold hair. This was a representation of femininity that I felt I would never achieve, but one that I sought. Years later I had a ballerina tattooed on my right arm as a symbol of the femininity I now feel. It illustrates the journey I have undertaken and the trans femme/woman I have become.”
― Rhyannon Styles, The New Girl: A Trans Girl Tells It Like It Is

“Even today I am still questioning who I am. I think it’s important for me to accept that I am constantly changing and shifting form,”
― Rhyannon Styles, The New Girl: A Trans Girl Tells It Like It Is

“Society tells you directly how to live your life and when you break these rules, it’s really hard.”
― Rhyannon Styles, The New Girl: A Trans Girl Tells It Like It Is

“Nanny Marge, my ninety-year-old grandmother on my father’s side, adjusted straight away. She happily referred to me as ‘Rhya’ and even introduced me to her cleaner as her ‘granddaughter’. Occasionally she would slip up with my name but instantly corrected herself. Even though she is so old, she seemed to understand it immediately and she was relieved that I was happy in myself.”
― Rhyannon Styles, The New Girl: A Trans Girl Tells It Like It Is

“Rhyannon, my dear companion, now is your time. I hope I have served you well. Love always,
Ryan”
― Rhyannon Styles, The New Girl: A Trans Girl Tells It Like It Is

“was pink. Hot pink, baby pink, fuchsia – you name it. To some degree I was trying to use the colour as a statement of femininity. It’s crazy to think that I, of all people, fell into this stereotypical trap. At this stage I was trying everything out, and I guess I didn’t have the luxury of going mad for pink as a little girl.”
― Rhyannon Styles, The New Girl: A Trans Girl Tells It Like It Is

“Our relationship was based on creativity. We took ‘arty’ photos in the woods, each taking turns to lie on abandoned sofas, jumping through small fires we made out of newspaper.”
― Rhyannon Styles, The New Girl: A Trans Girl Tells It Like It Is

“I was being labelled before I’d even worked any of it out for myself.”
― Rhyannon Styles, The New Girl: A Trans Girl Tells It Like It Is

“The isolated village makes for a pretty postcard of rural England, filled with old houses, National Trust halls and heritage-status buildings. On the flipside it’s very heteronormative and traditional, which didn’t suit me one bit.”
― Rhyannon Styles, The New Girl: A Trans Girl Tells It Like It Is

“Unbeknown to me, I was growing up within boundaries that my parents, their parents and society wanted to enforce. There were rules on how females and males should behave in rural 1980s England. There was a distinct difference between the sexes and if you crossed the invisible line you were called names. I was the village ‘queer’ and that was bad.”
― Rhyannon Styles, The New Girl: A Trans Girl Tells It Like It Is