Hari Nef

22; Upper West Side; originally from Newton, MA. Actress, model, and writer whose eloquently expressed thoughts on gender and sexuality are raising her profile as an activist.

How do you describe yourself?

I’m fun, ruthless, articulate, impatient, maybe a little cavalier. I’m a woman, and a feminist. I’m transgender. I’m an actress, a reluctant writer, occasionally a potato-shaped model.

Do you identify yourself with any group?

I identify with anyone who logged online in elementary school and never logged off. I identify with American Jewish kids who never knew what it was like to be persecuted for their religion. I identify with transgender women. I identify with Sad Girls.

What would you like someone to say about you?

“She was terrifying. She was beautiful,” I guess. “She was cool. She was sweet. She was great, but she didn’t really give us a choice, did she?”

What change would you most like to see in the world?

I want to see definitions of what’s beautiful, compelling, palatable, marketable, sexy, and prestigious open up to a wider range of bodies, identities, and backgrounds. 

For more from The Downtowners, click here.