Pageboy, Elliot Page
Rating: 10/10
Publishing: Flatiron Books
ISBN: Kindle eBook Version
Copyright: © to Elliot Page, 2023
Juno has always been one of my favorite films ever since I was an adolescent. That was when I first laid my eyes on the main actor. While I was watching Juno, I already sensed something queer within the main lead actor—in a good way. As the years go by, my prediction came true.
Ever since Elliot Page’s transition, I was instantly ecstatic, in which it led me to read this memoir, Pageboy.
Before I commence my review, I would like to say that Elliot Page goes by both he and they pronouns, and as a nonbinary person myself, I will be referring Page by the same pronouns I go by.
First off, the entire memoir itself is written in non-chronological order due to a multitude of flashbacks they incorporated in each chapter, albeit I was able to decipher Page’s entire life story. To be honest, out of all the memoirs I have read and reviewed, their writing style and book format is the most unique I have ever read in their perspective.
Suffice to say, as an openly queer and nonbinary person myself, Pageboy is the most relatable to me, along with Glennon Doyle’s memoir, Untamed.
There is a myriad of Page’s personal experiences that I could relate to. We both experienced gender dysphoria. We both experienced trauma from a family household. We both even experienced dating issues and perplexing romantic and sexual attractions in the past. It was like Page and I are one in the same.
To begin with, Page started off with a career burnout as an actor themself. After they filmed Juno, they went through numerous coercions pertaining to fame and gender dysphoria.
They mentioned that they were born a tomboy and being one of the boys growing up. Back then when they played soccer, they wanted to be on the boys team rather than on the girls team. I know what it is like to be a tomboy nearly all my life as I never perceived myself as one of the girls, like Page.
When I read the part where Page told their mom that they wanted to be a boy, I could decipher the fact that they are more than just a tomboy themself; all their life, they are a boy trapped in a girl’s body. I find that very meaningful and that anyone has the right to identify themselves as whoever they are from their true inner selves. It’s the same way I identify myself as neither male nor female due to my mixed masculinity and femininity, in which it made me realize that I am agender all this time.
Page’s life story also contained trauma. Their parents are divorced and they had to travel back and forth to live with either their mom or dad. Their dad remarried a divorced woman with two kids, making them their stepmom and stepsiblings.
While they were temporarily living with their dad and stepfamily, Page experienced trauma in their step-household. Their stepsiblings bullied them and their stepmom was even verbally and emotionally abusive to Page. The stepmom is coercive to Page pertaining to their gender assigned at birth; she forced them to be and act like a girl just like her and her daughter. Page’s stepmom made me infuriated throughout the book; no one, not even parents—both biological and step—have the right to coerce their kids to be someone they are not. That would be up to the children themselves to figure out their own identities, regardless of age.
Personally, I became abhorrent about Page’s stepmom and stepsiblings, and I truly believe that Page did the right thing to estrange themself from their dad and stepfamily. It’s the same way I decided to estrange myself from my cousin and her mom due to the abuse I sustained from both of them growing up. Page and I didn’t regret not making any more contact with our dysfunctional family members. We both did the right thing.
What I have learned from Page’s life story is that they are one of those young performers who went through the pressure and downfall of fame.
They experienced stalking. They experienced working with demanding directors and producers. They experienced being forced to be somebody they are not. All of these are common within the young performer community, in which a myriad of child actors, such as Elliot Page themself, and even child singers would go through numerous controversies, such as drinking underaged and doing illicit drugs.
Page is different; they circumvented their own fame downfall by simply seeking professional help from therapy and they even sought help from their friends and acquaintances. I am elated to read the part about Page being able to remain resilient as they circumvented all their inner obstacles when it comes to becoming a prominent transitioning actor. That’s what I truly believe that all young actors and singers should do instead of poisoning themselves with drugs and alcohol. Instead of doing all those illicit things, they all should seek professional help like what Page did—and still do.
What I personally love about this memoir is that Elliot Page also went through numerous sexual experiences as their own way of identifying themself. They experienced both same-sex and opposite-sex intimacy, whereas they became open about their queer sexual orientation. I know that from my own personal experiences prior to coming out as asexual. Page knew instantly that they were gay from the commencement of their adolescence. However, they also experienced perplexity pertaining to their sexuality; Page knew all along that they are more than just a lesbian, they knew all along that they are a boy as they experienced intimacy with women in the past. Page felt what was accurate about their gender identity as they became more open about themself, whereas it led to their eventually transition towards the end.
I am proud of Elliot Page for coming out as a trans man and I am also proud of them for making a permanent choice to undergo top surgery. I am also proud of them for changing their name from Ellen to Elliot, their new name I found out from their book is named after the main character from their favorite childhood movie, ET. Page even mentioned that they wanted to be just like Elliot from the film. I am overall proud of Page’s resilience and integrity regarding to both their gender identity and their sexuality. As a queer asexual and nonbinary person myself, that is what I truly want to see more of within the trans and gender-nonconforming community.
What I truly admire about Elliot Page’s memoir, Pageboy, is their raw writing style. They truly have what it takes to become more than just an actor themself; I believe that Page has what it takes to become a writer as well. I admire how Page remained opened about themself without any judgment from what others think about them. I love their own version of cathartic emotional integrity, which is something I love to do as well. As aforementioned, Elliot Page and I are one in the same when it comes to our own sexualities and gender identities. In fact, regardless what other (transphobic and enbyphobic) people say about our genders, we will never let them get the best of us.
We can circumvent being deadnamed and misgendered as long as we both remain intrepid about our true selves. That is what I truly believe that everyone in the trans and nonbinary community should do; resume fighting for our rights and never let ourselves down whenever we get misgendered or even deadnamed. We, trans and nonbinary people, deserve our own rights, and we will remain fighters to fight for our rights.
That is what I truly love about Pageboy. It’s all about Elliot Page’s resilience and integrity.