American actress and model Hunter Schafer, known for her roles in the television series 'Euphoria' and the 'Hunger Games' franchise, has become the cover star of the new issue of Elle magazine. In the published interview, she spoke in detail about her transgender transition experience, including the medical surgery she underwent in December 2025. Schafer shared her feelings about the procedure and the recovery process, noting that for her, this decision was long-awaited and right.
Surgery and Recovery
Last December, meaning December 2025, Schafer underwent what is known as 'bottom surgery' — a surgical procedure to alter genitalia in accordance with her gender identity. 'I had bottom surgery in December, it was amazing, and I love it so much,' the actress said in an interview with Elle. To recover from the procedure, she specifically rented a spacious apartment where friends and loved ones could visit. According to her, in the first days after the operation, her 'activity limit was a maximum of 150 steps a day,' which highlights the severity of the rehabilitation period.
The Path to the Decision: From Age 14 to the Operating Room
Hunter Schafer began her gender transition at age 14, undergoing psychotherapy and starting hormone therapy. However, she decided on surgical intervention much later. In the interview, the actress confessed that for a long time she could not make the decision because she wanted to 'make the previous body work,' believing there was 'something really cool and awesome about that.' In the end, she said, she 'kept hitting a wall where this theoretical weird utopia didn't match reality.' Schafer emphasized that every transgender person is unique, but for her, the medical transition was the right choice.
Family, Faith, and Impact on Art
Hunter Schafer was born into a pastor's family. In her teens, she drifted away from the church, although in her youth, by her own admission, she 'felt anger at the world and the limitations I had growing up in the church.' Now, as the actress notes, she is on good terms with her family. Part of her personal transgender transition experience formed the basis for the character Jules in the TV series 'Euphoria,' which brought her international recognition and nominations for prestigious awards.
Context: Elle and the Visibility of Trans Actors
Schafer's appearance on the cover of Elle is a continuation of a steady trend in gloss and media to involve transgender artists in major projects. Her open discussion of the surgery and recovery details on such a scale as the cover of a leading women's magazine continues to expand the public space for transgender stories. For the actress herself, whose career spans both independent cinema and blockbusters, this step has become another stage in a consistent public narrative about herself that began in her teens.
