Trans man inspires people to overcome their fears - by posting videos of himself in uncomfortable situations
- last year
A trans man is inspiring people to overcome their fears - by posting videos of himself in uncomfortable situations.
Ezra Butler, 21, started the online series in June last year to try and tackle an eating disorder.
He posted videos of himself eating what he described as "fear foods" - such as pizza and pasta.
His followers then started requesting more videos - pushing Ezra to branch out into more general fears.
He has since posted more than 190 clips - to more than a million followers - including travelling on the tube and shopping as a trans person.
Ezra claims his followers have since messaged to say they have been inspired by his actions - with one even deciding to move countries.
Ezra, who is self-employed, from Brighton, East Sussex, said: “Making the videos has been a really lovely process, it made me feel a lot more confident in myself.
“My TikTok began as holding myself accountable and trying to look after myself better and push myself out of my comfort zone as I had an eating disorder.
“I just wanted to conquer anything that caused me anxiety to show others it’ll all be okay. Whether that’s social anxiety or fear around food.”
Ezra believes conquering other people’s social anxieties helped him to finally face his own.
He added: “While I was making the ‘fear food’ videos, I got a lot of requests to tackle other scary situations and eventually I branched out.
“It felt really wild to start with. I was requested to go up to strangers around Brighton and compliment them, and I got an amazing response to that.
"Then I’d take myself out to the cinema and for food - it was really lovely.
“It’s now become the biggest part of my TikTok and it’s basically what I’m known for now.”
Strangers have even started to spot Ezra in the street and tell him how his videos have helped them.
He said: “I’ve had people come up to me in person, on the street - but mostly inside clubs around Brighton.
“People have showed me tattoos they’ve got because my videos inspired them to conquer that fear.
“Others have said they literally moved countries, all the way to Brighton on a whim because my videos have encouraged them to really live.”
Ezra has also made a successful series about his gender transition.
He sits down and talks through his experience with gender identity throughout his life and about reestablishing his pronouns as he/him.
"I came out initially as non-binary while on TikTok," Ezra said. “I wasn’t quite sure yet who I actually was, but I think I knew I wasn’t a girl.
"I went by they/them/she/her - but I was secretly so disappointed when people used ‘she/her’ - which they predominantly were.
"I realised, eventually, that ‘he/him’ were actually my most comfortable and fitting pronouns.
"I visited the GP in late March and was prescribed testosterone, which I’ve now been on for six weeks.”
Ezra is hoping to undergo top surgery - in which his breasts will be removed - later this year.
Ezra Butler, 21, started the online series in June last year to try and tackle an eating disorder.
He posted videos of himself eating what he described as "fear foods" - such as pizza and pasta.
His followers then started requesting more videos - pushing Ezra to branch out into more general fears.
He has since posted more than 190 clips - to more than a million followers - including travelling on the tube and shopping as a trans person.
Ezra claims his followers have since messaged to say they have been inspired by his actions - with one even deciding to move countries.
Ezra, who is self-employed, from Brighton, East Sussex, said: “Making the videos has been a really lovely process, it made me feel a lot more confident in myself.
“My TikTok began as holding myself accountable and trying to look after myself better and push myself out of my comfort zone as I had an eating disorder.
“I just wanted to conquer anything that caused me anxiety to show others it’ll all be okay. Whether that’s social anxiety or fear around food.”
Ezra believes conquering other people’s social anxieties helped him to finally face his own.
He added: “While I was making the ‘fear food’ videos, I got a lot of requests to tackle other scary situations and eventually I branched out.
“It felt really wild to start with. I was requested to go up to strangers around Brighton and compliment them, and I got an amazing response to that.
"Then I’d take myself out to the cinema and for food - it was really lovely.
“It’s now become the biggest part of my TikTok and it’s basically what I’m known for now.”
Strangers have even started to spot Ezra in the street and tell him how his videos have helped them.
He said: “I’ve had people come up to me in person, on the street - but mostly inside clubs around Brighton.
“People have showed me tattoos they’ve got because my videos inspired them to conquer that fear.
“Others have said they literally moved countries, all the way to Brighton on a whim because my videos have encouraged them to really live.”
Ezra has also made a successful series about his gender transition.
He sits down and talks through his experience with gender identity throughout his life and about reestablishing his pronouns as he/him.
"I came out initially as non-binary while on TikTok," Ezra said. “I wasn’t quite sure yet who I actually was, but I think I knew I wasn’t a girl.
"I went by they/them/she/her - but I was secretly so disappointed when people used ‘she/her’ - which they predominantly were.
"I realised, eventually, that ‘he/him’ were actually my most comfortable and fitting pronouns.
"I visited the GP in late March and was prescribed testosterone, which I’ve now been on for six weeks.”
Ezra is hoping to undergo top surgery - in which his breasts will be removed - later this year.