Tasha was born a little over 12 years ago, the daughter of a cabaret singer and a failed marriage. Raised in convent-like surroundings, she didn’t see the light of day until 2013 on an outing to Manchester.

Despite occupying a much older body, Tasha has many of the challenges faced by any other teenage girl with a restricted upbringing. Uncertain and clumsy in a changing body, she worries about her looks and figure, experimenting with clothes and hairstyles to find an image she can feel comfortable with. New to both makeup and jewellery she struggles to create a look appropriate to the occasion.

She desperately wants to be attractive to other people and yet in her inexperience she has no idea what other people find attractive. She is intelligent and likes intelligence in others but knows that you often need physical attractiveness first to earn the right to a deeper relationship. Like many girls seeking to find themselves and with no personal role models to draw upon, she takes her inspiration from the world of movies. The developing ingénue often played by Emma Watson strikes a strong chord, as does the more mature appeal of intelligent actresses such as Keira Knightley, Natalie Portman and Rachel Weisz.

Again like a teenager, Tasha is still learning about and exploring her sexuality. She has had sexual encounters with both men and women, but nothing that lasted and usually no more than one-off fumbles leaving her feeling sordid and unsatisfied. In her heart she is a romantic, longing for the perfect partner with whom she can share everything, enjoying new experiences together, kissing and cuddling and exploring every part of each other – body and soul.

Unfortunately, Tasha doesn’t have the body of a teenage girl. Through dieting, exercise and careful preparation she can look better than she ever dreamed, yet in her fantasies she still longs to look more like her film star archetypes. Her lifestyle still demands that the majority of her time is spent in the costume of a man in his early 50s. The romantic ideal will always be limited to at most a few days at a time, and when it is time for bed, all of Tasha’s carefully cultivated exterior must be removed –leaving behind the unprotected half-body of a tortoise without its shell.

Being more than a teenage girl has its compensations. Tasha is intelligent, articulate and erudite and enjoys the same in others. Although extreme violence and horror does not appeal to her, she loves almost any other type of film, play or book – from romantic comedy to action, suspense or thriller. She likes eating out but also preparing good food and wine. Her conversation, sometimes earnest, often ironic, betrays a wide-ranging interest in almost everything. Her musical tastes are probably a bit old-fashioned but diverse, from musical theatre to jazz, opera and rock’n’roll.

March 9th 2013 in Manchester marked Tasha’s debut into the real world – an exciting start and a life-changing experience. What form that changed life will take is still to be determined, but one thing is certain – she will never be satisfied with her old life again.

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