Trans rights activist and content creator Dylan Mulvaney posted photos of herself after facial feminization surgery.
The photos continue a trend of Mulvaney documenting her transition in remarkable detail.
“Thank you for supporting me and I love you so much, thank you,” Mulvaney said in an Instagram video.
Mulvaney, 25, became well known on TikTok for viral videos including a memorable moment from 2020 where she attempted to feed bread to a buffalo out of her car window.
But Mulvaney has grown in recognition significantly this year, to 9.7 million followers, since she started to document every day “of being a girl” on her account.
Her video of day 1 of being a girl, posted on March 12, was viewed 9 million times. For day 100, Mulvaney shared a video where several celebrities and LGBTQ rights activists celebrating the milestone. December 22 was day 285.
Late on December 21, Mulvaney posted some selfies from her hospital bed, saying it was time to “let the healing begin.” She included notes, one addressed to her old face, and one to her new one.
She thanked her face and said that while it “did me good,” it also “sparked sadness far too often.”
“For now, you are still a friend,” Mulvaney wrote of her old appearance. “Thank you for listening to my needs and taking one for the team. Please don’t feel like you failed — I can assure it’s me it’s not you.”
To her new face, Mulvaney said she couldn’t wait to meet it, and to “start seeing the outside match the inside.”
“Stop listening to the haters,” she wrote. “This one is for you!”
Facial feminization surgery, as the name suggests, is meant to make its subjects appear more feminine. According to the Mayo Clinic, it can involve a mixture of procedures including a reshaping of the jaw and chin, face-lifts, and cheekbone or lip augmentation.
This year, Mulvaney became both an advocate for trans rights and a target for right wing anti-trans figures.
In October, Mulvaney responded to comments made by Caitlyn Jenner, who called Mulvaney an “absurdity,” and accused her of “exposing” herself in public. Mulvaney said the comments provoked abuse and death threats.
“I wanted to reclaim my body in a positive way, and now you’ve taken that and you turned it into something really ugly,” Mulvaney said, and urging Jenner to think back to her own early days of transition.
“You have personally subjected me to thousands and thousands of hateful eyes, a number of which could very well want to hurt me, and that’s the power you have.”
Also in October, Mulvaney met President Joe Biden for a NowThis interview where they discussed trans rights. Biden told Mulvaney no state should have the right to block transgender people’s access to healthcare.
