Now that I have opened Pandora's box, I cannot close it again, but have no idea what to do with the species it has let loose. The idea of transitioning is endlessly seductive and endlessly terrifying. I take at least one selfie every day and transform it, and it feels as though the pictures are becoming ever more plausible.
-- Lucy Sante (Page 1-Page 45)

Importance: This passage captures the liminal psychological space of early transition through Sante's masterful use of the Pandora's box metaphor, which transforms gender identity from internal secret to unleashed force beyond her control. The juxtaposition of "endlessly seductive and endlessly terrifying" reveals the profound ambivalence that characterizes major identity transformation—the simultaneous pull toward authentic self-expression and fear of its irreversible consequences. Most significantly, her daily ritual of taking and transforming selfies represents a form of digital rehearsal for physical transition, with each manipulated image functioning as both wish fulfillment and possibility...