Into an Inside

Rivka Clifton's essay explores the intricate balance between exterior perception and interior truth, set against the backdrop of microplastics, memories, and the gaps left by those who knew us.

Technically, I have the same ratio of microplastics to testicular tissue as a cis woman—none. In the year or so after my orchiectomy, I feel my hips rounding, my breasts growing fuller. I wonder how my ratio of microplastics to breast tissue compares to cis women.

I used to be more concerned with how my body stacked up against cis people. I measured my w…