I'll admit that I was staring. Suddenly my whole perspective had flipped inside out, like when you look at an inkblot picture and see just the black part. Then your brain inverts the image and you realize the white part makes an entirely different picture, even though nothing has changed. That was Alex Fierro, except in pink and green. A second ago, he had been very obviously a boy to me. Now she was very obviously a girl.
The narrator describes a moment of realization and transformation in their perception of Alex Fierro, a character whose gender identity shifts before their eyes. Initially, Alex is viewed as male, but suddenly the narrator sees her as female, which causes a profound change in their understanding. This shift is likened to interpreting an inkblot, where the observer's perspective can completely alter the perceived image.
This experience highlights the fluidity of identity and how external appearances can lead to assumptions. The narrator's struggle to reconcile their previous understanding with this new perspective emphasizes the complexities of gender and the importance of recognizing and respecting individual identity. The transformation is not about a change in Alex but rather about the narrator's evolving perception.