British model and trans rights advocate Munroe Bergdorf says that she no longer wants to use the phrase “born in the wrong body” to describe her experience as a trans woman.

Speaking to Mermaids, the continually besieged British nonprofit that advocates for the needs of trans and gender-nonconforming kids, Bergdorf explains why she now finds the phrase “unhelpful,” even damaging to herself.

Per PinkNews:

I’ve come to understand why the phrase ‘born in the wrong body’ is unhelpful to me. I know why I used to use it; because other people struggled to understand, but looking back I know it did me harm. Saying you have the wrong body feels like a kind of self-abuse, and it’s not the same as saying ‘I need to adjust my body to be my true self.’ That’s a different thing. We only get one body, and it’s really important, especially for younger people to know they are unique and beautiful. I would say to younger people that transitioning is hard so you need to look after your body, love it and respect it.

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