Chaz Bono, the activist-turned-author-turned-actor, says looking at old photographs of himself is “painful.”

Bono, 42, told Oprah Winfrey during Saturday's Oprah: Where Are They Now? that that's true for most transgender people.

The author sat in a chair opposite Winfrey and in front of a collection of old photos of himself.

“I thought it was interesting,” Winfrey started. “My producer told me that she brought you out to look at some of the photos. … And she shared with me that you shared with her that looking at these old photos is not a comforting thing.”

“Yeah, for most transgender people we don't really like to see pictures of us before transitioning because life was really hard beforehand,” Bono responded. “So, they're generally not happy memories.”

“It doesn't, you know, bring back fun nostalgia. You're just reminded of the pain you were in,” he added.

Elsewhere on the program, Bono said that he has a “different perspective” on women than most men.

“I don't think I understand women particularly better than [most men]. Not the emotional side that we don't get,” Bono said. “No, I never had that.”