She’s queer, has a bionic arm, and unapologetic about both. That’s why her dating column is fire! Special thanks to Dayna Troisi.
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LifestyleTranscript
00:00I went 23 years without wearing a prosthetic.
00:02Internally, I worried that if I wanted to wear one,
00:05it meant that I didn't feel pretty or didn't feel good enough without one.
00:09And I started to really rethink what that meant to me when I saw
00:13this new prosthetic. I started to look at it as more of a fashion statement.
00:17I'm gay. I'm thick. I have one hand. I'm a woman.
00:32But those are all the things that make me me.
00:35My name is Dana Troisi. F pretty. I'm extra.
00:48I hope my work will empower others to tell their stories, too,
00:53and be brave and tell the raw and imperfect and, like,
00:56sort of embarrassing and, like, weird parts.
00:59Because I think that's where the magic happens.
01:01There is one specific moment that I can kind of pinpoint.
01:15When I was getting fitted for my cosmetic arm,
01:17and I uploaded a picture to Facebook when I left the office.
01:20I was about 16 years old.
01:21And it was the most liked and commented picture I ever uploaded to Facebook.
01:26And everyone was like, you look so beautiful.
01:29At first, I was like, yeah, likes and comments.
01:31And then I was like, wow.
01:33So now I'm going to be obsessing that I'm not as beautiful without this.
01:38And that kind of, like, damaged me.
01:42I would be like, well, if I put that on, then I'd look normal.
02:05I think it's important to tell stories and have representation
02:08for generations that are kind of just coming into themselves now
02:11so they can know that other people have experienced the same things as them.
02:15And they're fine.
02:16Obviously, life is hard, but you can overcome any challenge
02:19that life throws at you.
02:21And I think it's important to have those stories
02:23in a really accessible, funny way that aren't so serious.
02:25Like, how my disability informed the way.
02:28Like, I don't like that kind of stuff.
02:29I like how I tie my shoes with one arm, how I go on a date with one arm.
02:33If I tell people I have one arm on Tinder, how I have sex with one arm.
02:36I think if I would have had those when I was younger,
02:38not to say they weren't out there, I just wasn't exposed to them.
02:40I think I would have been more confident sooner.
02:42It's important to speak up for people that have disabilities
02:46and or are part of the LGBT community
02:49because our stories are important and need to be told.
02:52And I think they're important to tell and in a really joyful way
02:56and not just like the ways in which we struggle, but the ways that we turn up
03:01and have fun and explore and make mistakes and all of that stuff.