Dayna Troisi: Writer/Editor at GO Magazine / Bionic Woman

Proud writer/editor at GO Magazine, Dayna's  essays have been published in Buzzfeed, Vice, SELF, Racked and more. Her writing focus on lesbian dating, beauty and fashion, and her bad ass bionic arm.  Dayna has a hysterical take on life with disabilities with one article titled, "How Do You Do Your Hair When You Only Have One Arm? Not to mention makeup and shaving, plus dealing with inquisitive spa personnel."  She's created a career fueled by her passions in life and hopes to keep telling stories for years to come.

"I’ve spent my life looking at the way society looks at people with disabilities, looking at the way people look at me. Born without my left hand, blending in was never really an option for me, so I embraced standing out," states Dayna.

Read her interview below.

How did you fall upon your career and makes you love what you do?

I just started as a full time staff writer/ editor at GO Magazine and literally feel like the luckiest girl on earth to have my career. I was a working freelance writer and professor of creative writing before I started at GO. 

I love what I do because my pub centers queer women’s voices. Our content is sexy, engaging, and HILARIOUS. I can’t even believe how blessed I am to be there. Writing is my passion, it’s my medicine, it’s the way I interact with the world. Working as a full time writer has been my dream, and to do it at a publication I read and respect is amazing. 

What are you currently most excited about?

• Working alongside my long time internet idol, Zara Barrie.
• My new weekly column, Lesbian Sex and The City! I'm excited to write about lesbian sexuality in a funny, relatable, sexy way.
• The fact that I get to review Lovehoney’s new luxury sex toy line 

What would you tell yourself when you were younger and/or what advice would you give other women?

To myself, you aren’t ugly. You aren’t broken. Lesbian isn’t a bad word. The world isn’t just black and white; bask in the gray area. You don’t know everything. Stop with the orange spray tan and neon tank tops. You will always be anxious AF but you will also be happy and accomplished. 

To women writers, specifically: Calling women’s personal essays navel gazing is straight up misogyny. Tell the writer bro in your class to come up with a more valid criticism. Gaze at your navel all you f*cking want. But don’t ignore other people’s opinions and experiences. Tell the story only you can tell, and read every other story out there. Keep feeding your hunger for knowledge and truth. 

To all women, support each other. Sisterhood is sacred. You are beautiful. 

Is there something you were self-conscious about when you were younger or still self conscious about today and have learned to embrace today?

I think everyone thinks the obvious answer would be the fact that I have one hand but luckily i had a really solid upbringing from my parents that emphasized there was nothing wrong with me because of my disability. Instead, I was terribly self conscious of my weight. Absolutely obsessed. In large part thanks to the internet, I love my body now. Don’t get me wrong, I have bad days. I almost cancelled this shoot because I decided I have a double chin! But most days I embrace my body. It has taken me a while but I truly think I’m sexy. And in our society, that’s radical, quite frankly. Which makes it even sexier. 

What do you love about lingerie?

EVERYTHING. The confidence it grants me. The femininity. The LACE. The stockings, don’t even get me started on the stockings. The cleavage. The celebration of a femme body. The ritual of putting it on. Taking it off :’) 

Growing up, I explored my sexuality through images of women in lingerie. I hate when people lecture me on the male gaze and the patriarchy when I say this. I took endless women’s study courses. I am a feminist. I full well understand the insidious effects of centering male desires...and yet, I still feel empowered and turned on by the very things deemed patriarchal. There’s room for nuance. And thankfully there’s feminist, women owned lingerie companies like Thistle & Spire. If that’s not enough to prove lingerie is for women’s pleasure too, what is? 

Where do you get your inspiration?

• I get my style inspo from Kim k, sevdaliza, Dua Lipa and banks.
• I get my writing inspo from Jacq Frances, Zara Barrie, Samantha Irby, Erica Garza, Tom Robbins, Tracy k Smith, Simon Armitage, AM Homes and Sylvia Plath. 
• I get overall inspiration from my friends and family. and girls I meet on tinder. 

Learn more at daynatroisi.com