Sadie Hawkins energy is the antidote.

It was a gimmick. A reversal. But for a young trans femme trying to navigate a world that didn’t have a map for me, the metaphor stuck.

The tradition works because confidence is the most attractive thing a girl can wear. And for trans femmes, confidence is also a survival tactic.

If you grew up anywhere near a high school in the Midwest or the South, you know exactly what today is. It’s that time of year when the gym is decorated with crepe paper, the DJ is playing the slow jams, and the usual rules of romance are flipped upside down.