My TikTok For You Page has always had a wide variety of content on it, ranging from humorous clips to cute dog videos. However, recently, a certain rising star has been popping up more and more frequently: Dylan Mulvaney.

Known previously for her acting pursuits and her brief slice-of-life vlogs, Mulvaney’s surge in popularity can be attributed to her daily “days of girlhood” videos. This documented the start of her transition from male to female and to embrace the gender that she internally identified as.

Although there are many transgender creators on social media, Mulvaney sticks out to many because of her unique experiences. She transitioned as an adult, which isn’t uncommon for transgender people, but it is rare that it is documented from the beginning.

Mulvaney began her social and physical journey to womanhood through her interests, style, and looks. Most recently, she has undergone facial feminization surgery, which enhanced certain features on Mulvaney’s face to make her bone structure more similar to that of a biological woman’s.

Watching Mulvaney’s life as a woman come to fruition is truly entertaining, and she will be reaching day 365 of girlhood on March 13, 2023. Her loveable and hilarious personality is one that has captivated the masses and attracted so many to her account.

However, in my opinion, Mulvaney has been thrown onto a pedestal very quickly, and there is a chance that there could be a downside to the fame that Mulvaney has garnered. While Mulvaney is certainly deserving of her fame due to her unproblematic content, there is the chance that she could take an action for her health that could cause people to turn against her.

Gender is a complicated concept in general, but this is especially true for those struggling with their identity. Even though Mulvaney is strong in her identity as a woman, some transgender individuals have a difficult time accepting their true gender and tend to have a plateau in their transition.

Although this is a perfectly normal part of any transition as it is a gradual process, some may judge Mulvaney too quickly if this does occur and draw the conclusion that she is detransitioning. It is hard to make decisions with so many spectators at all times, so as Mulvaney makes discoveries about herself, others may judge too harshly.

A second reason that issues could arise with Mulvaney’s advocacy and somewhat of a “trans poster child” persona is that her transition process and journey is very different than the majority of transgender individuals’. While she herself is only 26, she identified as a woman and got hormones and surgery within a year. Many transgender individuals begin identifying as the gender they feel early on in life but do not start their transition until many years later.

While there is no issue with how Mulvaney goes about her transition and I fully support her decisions, this may lead to misconceptions about the majority of trans people’s experiences. Of course, no two people have the same experience, but it is rare that they have one quite like Mulvaney’s. It is interesting to watch a transition from the beginning, but Mulvaney may need more time to get settled in the community before being a representative of many transgender people.

On the other hand, it isn’t fair to blame Mulvaney for all of these happenings. She has made herself a powerful, popular woman, and nobody has the right to take that away from her. Mulvaney has proved herself to be a valuable addition to social media platforms and has garnered much support for the trans community through her informational and personal posts.