Take Me Home, Ground Control

My DIY Dysphoria Solutions

Hayyyyyyy!

TRIGGER WARNING FOR DYSPHORIA

I will be talking about chesticles and nipples and penises and such. Read at your own discretion.

Okay. So this is my experience with DIY binding/packing, which I want to share for my transmasculine pals who experience dysphoria.

Disclaimer: I cannot guarantee that any of these methods are medically safe. I do not recommend them as the safest or best methods. If they cause pain, stop immediately. Stay safe.

I'm gonna be very honest and open. Message me or comment if you want to talk further on these subjects or have questions about how I did something!

BINDING
So first, I want to say I have a larger chest. I'm a 34C I think? So the camisole method never worked for me, but it did work for a friend of mine with a smaller chest. I used to wear a smaller sports bra normally, with another one over it with the bottom elastic part of it over my nipples so it would hold my chest down more. I did that every day for months, but I quit using that method because of chest pain. Later I heard somewhere about using tights for binding because they stretch for movement. First I tried cutting a pair of underwear into a binder because I figured it would hold tight enough. WRONG. I then tried with an old pair of tights where the crotch was already ripped. To do this, I cut the legs off of an old pair of tights, which is where my arms fit through. Then I cut out the crotch area to put my head through that hole. I've found that wearing a sports bra underneath the tights helps a lot. First, I put on the bra. Then I adjust my breasts, moving them up and away from each other. Next, I put the tights on, pulling the bottom down the my hips. I readjust my chesticles for the best look I can get, and then I have to put on pants/shorts with a belt immediately after, because the bottom tends to roll up. The shoulders tend to be uncomfortable and irritate my skin a little because of the thin straps. The only other downside is that I have a run in the tights on my back so I'm hoping it doesn't tear more! I have not experienced any pain or breathing difficulty so far and hopefully won't. Binding for longer than 8 hours is very bad. Don't do it. Also I recommend taking breaks from binding. This method doesn't give a totally flat chest because that is very unhealthy and unrealistic. And remember, Chris Evans will always have more boob.

PACKING
Wow. Penises. That's a thing. I experience some bottom dysphoria. The first method I tried uses a sock and safety pins. I rolled the sock so it was about thick enough and long enough for a penis shape. For reference, I think the average length(flaccid) is 3.5-4 inches. Not like porn stars. That's pretty unrealistic. I had to try a lot of kinds of socks for what I wanted. Then I safety pinned it in the shape. And then tucked it into the front of my pants. Bad idea. I don't recommend just shoving a dick down there because it won't stay in the right place and might look like you have a boner. Awkward! I found that wearing a pair of tighter underwear and pinning the rolled sock to the inside of a slightly larger pain of underwear(which I put on over the first pair) works better. Recently I tried a new method. Because I had the legs of tights from my DIY binder I used those to create a new packer. I stuffed a sock into the foot and shaped it a little bit. Then I swished the end of the tights and rolled them back over itself. Then I twisted and rolled it over itself again. Next, the packer can be pinned into that larger pair of underwear to put on over the tighter pair I was already wearing. I didn't want to risk putting safety pins inside my underwear that close to my body! This method also lets you have a packer closer to your skin tone than socks may be and gives more choice in the shape and size. It usually takes me several tries to pin it in a realistic place. Then I try putting on pants and readjusting a little for a realistic bulge sitting(so it's not an awkward boner), standing(look from several angles), and walking(for comfort). I haven't worn it out or for extended periods of time yet so I can't say it will always stay in place.  I saw a YouTube video that I can't find again on making a packer with a penis and testicles out of condoms and gel, but I don't have either so I've been improvising. The most important thing for me is comfort. Is the packer comfortable to wear? Yeah. That's why I like it. I doubt anyone notices a difference unless you're wearing really tight pants or a swimsuit, but it is a confidence booster for me.

UNDERWEAR/SOCKS/SHOES
I don't have men's underwear yet. I prefer wearing plain, white, comfortable underwear. It makes me feel more masculine. For socks, I prefer very plain socks(except my rainbow ones!). I wear black, white, gray, or blue plain socks. I also wear Vans, which are really neutral. My black ones are technically in women's sizes, but they look like my personality. It keeps me rooted feeling that my feet are expressing my my masculinity. Small things do help!

PANTS/SHIRTS
Pants. Ugh. I wear a lot of jeans from the women's section because they're jeans don't have a gender. Clothes don't have a gender. Fabric pieces do not have genders. Fuck. Anyways, all of my pants are women's. Shirts. I wear a lot of slightly larger men's t-shirts. Button down shirts tend to be hard to find that fit really well but they look great. Getting shirts with a pattern(not plain with vertical lines though!) does distract from a bulge on the chest so I like wearing those. Like my plaid button down shirt. Flannels! I throw on a plain shirt and a flannel over with sleeves rolled up. Looks great. Or a plain long sleeve shirt with a t shirt over it. Layers all the time helps me. When I wear a button down I tend to tuck it in. It hides the slimness of my waist and if I wear low-rise jeans it covers my hips a little. Plus if you tuck the front the right way with a longer shirt it's a quick packer bunched in the front *wink wink*. Sometimes I wear a tight tank top under a shirt just because.

DEODORANT
I don't have men's cologne or deodorant or antiperspirant or anything. I use Dove advanced care cool essentials antiperspirant. It's women's apparently but smells pretty neutral. Not too strong. Not super flowery. Although any person of any gender can smell however they want. I just know that finding a neutral smell helps me feel more masculine. The little things can make a big difference in my mood.

HAIR
Oooooh. A big one. My answer? Hats. All day. Every day. Baseball caps in the summer. Paperboy caps in the fall. Knitted hats in the winter. Beanies in the spring. Actually, though. I put my hair in a bun for beanies or knitted hats. Everything else I just shove my hair in and mess with it until it stays. I have hair down to my knees so I'm always wearing a hat.

VOICE
I've learned to talk naturally in a lived voice over the last few years. Sometimes it goes back up when I'm nervous. Sometimes it goes down to overcompensate. It fluctuates like any voice. I practiced a lot. And I just started introducing that voice into my speech until it became natural.

FACE
I like a nude lipstick sometimes because it makes my lips a little less pink. Everything else I usually leave. My attempts at mascara facial hair? Umm. No. It didn't work at all.

Well, these are some of the things I've done to alleviate some dysphoria. Anyone else have ways to share? You can message me too!

Stay safe and take care of your body!

What is your name?
What is your quest?
What is the velocity of an unladen swallow?

Love ya,
CC
<3 ;