Hi, I'm Your Queer Cosmetics Formulator.
If you didn't know, I'm not a woman.
Some of you may be wondering what exactly I mean by this. I am non-binary, meaning that my gender identity does not align with the gender I was assigned at birth. I've never quite fit the colonial standard of femininity/womanhood, even through marriage and child birthing. My earliest memory of feeling like something was different was right around the age of 7. I was genuinely confused because I was told something was "only for girls" and I couldn't wrap my mind around that. It made no sense. And going forward, I did my best to fit into the implied rules for girls, yet I never felt like that was for *me*.
It took me becoming an adult, looking into gender studies, meeting folks outside of my immediate circle (read: church and school and work), and meeting my now husband to finally have the language to describe my identity in an accurate way. I didn't fully come out until I was 24. By then, I finally felt safe enough to be loud in my truth. Some days I don't correct the aggressive use of she/her in regard to who I am, and some days I'm ready to teach a Gender 101 course just so I can finally get respected across the spectrum of folks that know me.
Whether you fully get it or not, I am who I am and will be respected as such.
So hi, I am Dymond Muhammad, a wife, mother, cosmetics formulator and non-binary individual. My pronouns are they/them and she/her, in that exact order. Nice to fully meet you!