As a teen, Dutch photographer Marvel Harris struggled with disordered eating and profound feelings of insecurity and aversion towards his body. Not understanding the root of his conflict, therapists trotted out textbook analysis, telling him: “Not wanting to gain weight, when struggling with an eating disorder, is associated with not wanting to grow up and take responsibilities.”
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Recognizing this was not the source of his distress, Marvel dug deeper in search of understanding. When he gained weight, people offered compliments like, “Real women have curves,” which inadvertently got at the crux of the matter: Marvel was not a woman.
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While reading about gender dysphoria in 2016, Marvel began to recognize himself and embarked on a journey to live his truth. A year later, he picked up the camera and began making a series of self-portraits documenting his experiences as a non-binary transgender artist transitioning to manhood. But something happened as he created a space for silent reflection of himself — Marvel found the path to his lifelong search for self-love and self-acceptance.
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