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Astolfo

Portrait photo taken from the shoulders up. The person is angled to the left and looking straight ahead. She is wearing a black t-shirt with a small purple text on the right side reading MCR. She is wearing purple and yellow eye makeup.

Growing up intersex in the conservative city of Gatineau, Astolfo (she/they) felt pressure to conform to the gender she was assigned— a boy. As she got older and started to rebel against the clothes they were forced to wear, Astolfo was able to experiment. From punk and emo beginnings to a more goth-androgynous style today, clothing has always been there for them once she started expressing her true self.


Enjoy this video with a transcript (EN).

As unconventional as it was, clothing was even part of Astolfo coming out to their mom. She’d had enough of the boy clothes, and put a trans flag and some feminine clothing into their Amazon shopping cart and asked her mom to buy them for her. This delve into feminine and androgynous clothing started with a knee-length skirt, which she still has today— years and a move later.


Enjoy this video with a transcript (EN).

A pair of clasped hands with painted nails. One hand has yellow nails, and the other has purple. There are beaded bracelets and hair ties on their wrists.

Astolfo’s intersex flag-coloured nails, 2025. Select the image to learn more.

Clothing isn’t just about fashion for Astolfo, it’s also a reflection of herself and their interests. Her favorite My Chemical Romance band t-shirts reflects their love for queer music scenes. Her Every Child Matters shirt reflects her moral compass and her grandmother’s experience. Their nails are always painted as an extension of her style.

Black shirt on a wooden hanger. It has orange and white text reading EVERY CHILD MATTERS. To the left of the text is a orange and white graphic of two feathers.

Astolfo’s “Every Child Matters” shirt, 2025. Select the image to learn more.

When finding your style, they believe you should try everything, even the clothes you think you’ll hate, even if it makes you scared. What matters most is finding what feels right and what makes you happy.

Play Astolfo’s full interview with English subtitles (External link – French currently auto-translated).