So, What Does "Authentic Self" Really Mean?

Consciously uncoupling the latest in shrinkwrapped terminology.

Most Popular

In last night's premiere episode of I Am Cait (read our review here), Caitlyn Jenner repeatedly uses the term "authentic self" to describe the outward manifestation of an internal struggle with her assigned-at-birth gender. Caitlyn, as opposed to Bruce Jenner, she explains, is her "authentic self." But what does the buzzy term really mean? And how does it factor into a transperson's journey of self discovery? Here, turns to M. Paz Galupo, Professor of Psychology and director of the Sexual and Gender Identity Research lab at Towson University, for a lesson in nomenclature: 

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

How does the term or idea of being true to one's "authentic self" differ between cisgender and transgender individuals?

When you're thinking in terms of general psychology, "authenticity" is all about being true to yourself and not letting societal pressure dictate the way you express, see, and understand yourself. In the context of the LGBT sphere it has to do not only with defining who you are and your own experience, but—and this is usually the case when you have a minority identity—it becomes something you have to justify to others. You're often perceived as inauthentic. You see a lot of the media discourse is, 'Oh, well, she's not really a woman.' Of the many microaggressions levied against trans individuals, one of [the most prevalent] is, 'Are they really trans? Are they really a woman?' 

Most Popular

And the acceptance of our gender is something a lot of us take for granted.

Right. Again, I think that this is a journey that everyone is on, but trans individuals have the additional burden of having to define themselves when they're constantly being told that they don't have the autonomy or expertise to define themselves. There's such a history, even in psychology and culture in general, ofpathologizing trans experience. So, you have these experts in medical fields saying, 'This is exactly what the trans experience is as a mental disorder.' Culturally it's this question, 'Are they really who they say they are?'

But being trans, feeling that you do not connect with your assigned gender, is hardly a new phenomenon...

It's not a new phenomenon, but that trope of being "a woman trapped inside of a man's body" is a specific narrative of trans experience that is true for some individuals but not for everyone. Caitlyn Jenner's experience of being someone who was uncomfortable in her own skin, so much so that she had to make medical transitions, you know, not all trans individuals feel like that's necessary. That's been the one narrative of the trans experience that's been, maybe, embraced more than others. A lot of trans individuals don't have that exact experience, but may feel that they need to say those things in order to get the metal health and medical services they might need. 

The trans experience is just as diverse as the cisgender experience. One of the things I think is wonderful about Caitlyn Jenner's story is that it's just one particular way of experiencing trans identity, but it may not resonate for all individuals. It's a very binary way of experiencing trans identity. Whereas [Jenner] was assigned male at birth but very much sees herself as a woman, and went through the experience of transitioning medically to kind of align the two, that's not true of the majority of trans individuals' experiences. A lot of trans people don't want to medically transition and of those who do, most of them don't have the means to do so—either the social support, insurance, or money. 

Sounds like the phrase "authentic self" is a catch-all that can serve as a funnel into acceptance of the myriad versions of the trans experience. Is that accurate?

Absolutely! In one way, if you think about it, people who are not trans, our gender identity authenticity is not questioned. Somebody who is not trans says, 'I'm a woman,' and no one bats an eye. It's a given. We all feel like we know what that is; there is no baseline of questioning. If gender for cis[gender] individuals was put under the same microscope, it would rock our worlds in terms of all of the explanation we'd have to go through. I can understand why the term "authentic self" is so prevalent because it's getting at the heart of, in some ways, the acceptance of trans individuals. It's this concept of placing trust in the idea that they know who they are. We just have to be willing to hear all the different stories of trans individuals' experience. 

More from ELLE: