I have to say I have noticed the complete opposite. Look at the personalities on the site. We are all so different. Even without knowing everyone in person, I have a good sense of the character of most who post here. It's seen in the way we write, in our shared stories, in our differences, our demeanour, etc. I have not detected anything that is considered fake. On the contrary, I have noticed a group of people with distinguished personalities who happen to share at least one thing in common. I have encountered people who are different from myself, but that doesn't mean that they have fabricated anything. Perhaps their experience, views, interests or different from mine. Who am I to judge someone as fake for that reason?
On the issue of validating oneself while giving advice, I think you may be misinterpreting what you have read. A lot of times people try to give advice by sharing their own experience. It's not trying to validate oneself instead of trying to help people in the best way they know how. At least, that's the only motive I've ever had about sharing my own stories and feelings when giving advice. At the end of the day, I think many of us are being real and sharing intimate details that are far from fake. I make no bones about who I am and don't care if I am not the model image of what being trans should be. The point of transitioning is for me to be who I am and live the way I want. It's not to fit into an image of what I think being female is or what other's expect from a trans girl. I break the mold in many ways, and I'm glad for that fact. I am me. And everyone else here is themselves. If you or anyone feels the need to fake or distort their thoughts, it's time for you to be true for your own sake. That's the only person's whose opinion who matters at the end of the day.
