What’s up bitches. I thought today would be a good time for me to dispel some myths that may be floating around the interwebs about my new show. I wanted to explain a few things to clear up any confusion out there.
As complicated as this might sound, The Retro Witch is not THERAT in a dress. It is Stephanie Bri doing her own thing. In other words this is the real Stephanie showing her true colors. THE RAT is the mask she wears to go out in public and live her day to day life.
What about the Goth stuff? Isn’t that like posing or something?
No. I am not entirely Goth. It’s complicated like I said. Retro Witch is a character I play as a way to express myself. THE RAT is also a character I play. I’ve been doing both my entire life but only one publicly until recently. Stephanie is the real me. The woman, trans woman if you will, living inside a man who has never fully defined his identity. That’s not important. He isn’t the one putting on a dress, wig and makeup as the Retro Witch, I am, Stephanie Bri, me. The woman inside, him.
Great that’s all fine but I thought Stephanie was a gamer chick or a girly girl. Retro Witch is goth right?
Retro Witch is a character I play. Stephanie is the real me. The person I would be, would have always been if life had worked out that way. It didn’t. THE RAT had to get us a job. I can’t speak entirely for him but I can say fear played a role in our decision to keep Stephanie hidden. That is no longer the case entirely. Think of it this way. Stephanie has to hide inside a man’s world dressed as a man pretending to like man things. She also enjoys playing dress up and pretending to be other people. In a way it does look like a man in a dress. That is not the case. It is a woman trapped in a mans body portraying a fictional character that shares her inner feelings, to an extent. Stephanie is not goth. Retro Witch is.
Okay got it. Stephanie is not goth. Are there other characters then?
Yes and no. I mean technically THERAT is a character, specifically a mask I wear. It sucks but that’s the life I chose I guess. I dress up as The Retro Witch because it’s fun. I’ve always been a fan of Marilyn Manson. I wanted to be like him. Dress feminine publicly and also somewhat Gothic. I never wanted to be goth just wanted to play a goth character. I tell people this, I will be THE RAT, when I have to be, and Stephanie when I get to be. In the past I was always Stephanie but only visibly on rare occasions. As in, when I was alone, isolated and in the privacy of my own home away from prying eyes. I created the Retro Witch character as a compromise. A way for me to go out in public as a woman without giving up the mask.
How girly or feminine is Stephanie?
As feminine as you! Really ask any feminist and they will tell you femininity is not about the clothes or living up to stereotypes. If anything I want to be free from stereotypes. I would prefer to be allowed the right to enjoy my Barbie and Transformers toys equally without raising suspicions. Or rather without being looked down on or judged for doing so. I prefer dresses over pants. I like wearing make up. I like dancing to pop music. I enjoy fantasizing I am a woman doing things only women can do. If science would allow me to become a woman, complete with all the right reproductive powers, then I would surely consider it. I don’t want to be female superficially. That has no appeal to me. I want to be able to say this is how I feel and express myself as such. I don’t want to be trapped in a box. I don’t want to live up to any one’s expectations but my own.
When will you begin presenting properly? When will you begin HRT? Is surgery in your future?
The answers to these questions are a resounding none of your damn business! I will wear whatever the hell I want. I will do what I decide to do with my body at my own pace and nothing is going to deter me from living my life my way.
I have a sister that is a straight tom boy I never ask her when is she going to transition to male or when is she going to dress like a real woman. I can wear pants, t shirts and a ball cap and still feel like a woman on the inside. Being trans, or whatever you want to call it, doesn’t mean I have to strive to fit YOUR image of what a woman is. That is all.
Stephanie Bri 