The Guide To Being Transgender

Be Safe When You Bind

This chapter is focused towards FtM individuals. If this does not apply to you, feel free to either skip forward or read ahead for a bit of information.

A lot of FtM people wear binders. If you don't know what this is, it's basically a piece of clothing, either a tank or a half-tank usually, that you wear to compress your chest and give off the impression that your chest is flat.

Unfortunately, not all FtMs are able to get proper binders. They either aren't in a good situation or don't have the money. Therefore, they will sometimes find other ways.

The most common alternative binder is an ace bandage. You see these a lot in trans media. It may seem like a great idea to use an ace bandage, but I assure you it is the worst thing you can do. When you wrap your chest with an ace bandage, the weight is uneven and too much pressure is placed on your ribs. It is insanely easy to break a rib with this method. I do not recommend it. Ace bandages are very very dangerous and they can even leave you misshapen for the rest of your life.

Another method for binding is to make your own binder. You can make one out of a camisole with a "built-in bra." This method does not always work, but it's still better than an ace bandage. However, if you mess up while making this type of binder, they can be very dangerous as well. There are tutorials online. I suggest you look some up if you plan on trying this.

The last method I'll tell you about is sports bras. You can get a tight sports bra and wear it to compress your chest. You usually have to wear two sports bras, but never wear more than three. If you wear more than three, it has much the same effect as an ace.

If you can't use any of these SAFE methods, sometimes a baggy shirt works best to hide everything.

So, please do not use ace bandages! I will continue this in a part 2, with tips and proto calls for when you are actually wearing a binder.