@elodieunderglass these are lovely decorative friends and make me think of you. Also, I am stunned by the artistry and creativity that went into making them.
They are enchanting, and I’m so grateful to see them!
Binding is not safe. Long term, it is detrimental to your physical health. While the social and psychological benefits might outweigh the physical risks for many people, the choice to bind should be made with the understanding that the risks cannot be eliminated even with great care to ensure good fit and avoid overuse. Tightly compressing a large part of your body with many complex skeletal and muscular connections on a regular basis damages your body over time. Take off-days, wear the proper size from reputable makers, don’t sleep or exercise in them, and take them off as often as possible - all good advice that you absolutely must follow to be as safe as possible, but it’s impossible to guarantee that there will not be complications.
People tend to downplay the physical risks of binding because the payoff for self-confidence can be so profound. But seriously - even responsible binding is likely to cause complications ranging from sharp pains, nerve damage, dramatically decreased lung capacity, fluid buildup, skin issues, and back injury. Do not take it lightly just because it’s a piece of clothing that can be removed and does not need a doctor’s approval or informed consent to use.
If you must bind, be gentle with yourself. On your off-time, or if you choose not to bind at all, puffer vests are your new best friends. Seriously. Get your Marty McFly on. Not your style? Your loss, you unfashionable fool, but scarves, loose-fitting button-downs, and bomber jackets can help as well.
Okay shut the fuck up.
If it’s a decision between hurting myself but feeling confident, or killing myself because I don’t feel like I belong in my own body, I think I’d choose the former.
That’s your prerogative. I never told anyone NOT to wear a binder. However, it’s a major medical decision, and minimizing or dismissing the very real and common side-effects is not good for anyone, especially young people just beginning to transition. Like I said, sometimes the psychological benefits outweigh the physical costs - if not wearing a binder makes you suicidal, then clearly continuing to wear a binder is the correct decision for you.
The problem lies in presenting binders as a miracle solution that everyone can and should try if they are distressed by the appearance of their chest, or that only “incorrect” binding (as with ace bandages) poses any dangers. Some people may develop complications that make it impossible for them to continue binding. It is vitally important that people are aware of the potential harm before they begin and are able to make informed decisions by weighing their own priorities and exploring alternatives.
Unlike surgery or hormones, binders are not medically regulated and don’t require you to understand what you’re getting into. That means we have to look after each other, and in this case, that means being honest about safety.
I would also really appreciate if we worked on respecting people who can’t bind anymore because of complications, and not treating them as not “really” trans or continuing to use their assigned gender to refer to them.
Like, it’s an issue with gatekeepers, but it’s also an issue within the trans community.
To add to the last remark: Assuming that people who can’t bind for medical reasons would bind (even if life-threatening) if they were really “trans enough”. Assuming there’s only one way that trans people feel about their bodies, that this way never changes over time and can’t ever be changed in any way by anyone, and that those who have (or can behave as if they have) the most agony around their bodies are the most genuinely trans people… all of these assumptions are false and harm a lot of trans people both directly and indirectly. Some of them are specific to assumptions around transness while some of them have ties to the way people think about membership in oppressed groups in general (even groups where dysphoria isn’t considered an integral part of their identity, seem to have a thing where the most genuine group membership is asserted by showing the most signs of severe suffering in a public way). That’s the other thing, not everyone is public about how we feel about our bodies, assuming you know how we eel on that basis isn’t cool. Assuming there’s only one “real” way trans people feel about their bodies is also not cool. These are responses to things I’ve seen over the past 15 years or so, not just things on this thread or something. Also there’s trans people and gender-atypical people who don’t think about the world through the same concepts that the mainstream trans community uses to describe both transness and gender in general and that’s not well-known and certainly not well-respected. Why people have to always form hierarchies like this is anyone’s guess.
Binding is not safe. Long term, it is detrimental to your physical health. While the social and psychological benefits might outweigh the physical risks for many people, the choice to bind should be made with the understanding that the risks cannot be eliminated even with great care to ensure good fit and avoid overuse. Tightly compressing a large part of your body with many complex skeletal and muscular connections on a regular basis damages your body over time. Take off-days, wear the proper size from reputable makers, don’t sleep or exercise in them, and take them off as often as possible - all good advice that you absolutely must follow to be as safe as possible, but it’s impossible to guarantee that there will not be complications.
People tend to downplay the physical risks of binding because the payoff for self-confidence can be so profound. But seriously - even responsible binding is likely to cause complications ranging from sharp pains, nerve damage, dramatically decreased lung capacity, fluid buildup, skin issues, and back injury. Do not take it lightly just because it’s a piece of clothing that can be removed and does not need a doctor’s approval or informed consent to use.
If you must bind, be gentle with yourself. On your off-time, or if you choose not to bind at all, puffer vests are your new best friends. Seriously. Get your Marty McFly on. Not your style? Your loss, you unfashionable fool, but scarves, loose-fitting button-downs, and bomber jackets can help as well.
Okay shut the fuck up.
If it’s a decision between hurting myself but feeling confident, or killing myself because I don’t feel like I belong in my own body, I think I’d choose the former.
That’s your prerogative. I never told anyone NOT to wear a binder. However, it’s a major medical decision, and minimizing or dismissing the very real and common side-effects is not good for anyone, especially young people just beginning to transition. Like I said, sometimes the psychological benefits outweigh the physical costs - if not wearing a binder makes you suicidal, then clearly continuing to wear a binder is the correct decision for you.
The problem lies in presenting binders as a miracle solution that everyone can and should try if they are distressed by the appearance of their chest, or that only “incorrect” binding (as with ace bandages) poses any dangers. Some people may develop complications that make it impossible for them to continue binding. It is vitally important that people are aware of the potential harm before they begin and are able to make informed decisions by weighing their own priorities and exploring alternatives.
Unlike surgery or hormones, binders are not medically regulated and don’t require you to understand what you’re getting into. That means we have to look after each other, and in this case, that means being honest about safety.
Okay, now shut the fuck up twice. People are pushing the agenda, and have been pushing the agenda, for making studies about binding for YEARS. And some traito…. I mean, trans people, are advocating for it to happen, and advocating for medical personel to overlook trans person’s binding as a medical procedure in need of ‘professional regulating’. I don’t fucking care about you or your self-righteous quasi fight for ‘heath of trans people’, because it’s just gatekeeping, plain and simple. Now, get the fuck out off my face, you tool.
[Deep breath.]
I… really don’t know where to start with this. Are you suggesting that peer-reviewed scientific studies on the long-term effects of binding are a bad thing, and that trans people who want this information to exist are “traitors”? Is that honest-to-god what you’re saying here?
I’ve never met anyone advocating for binding to be “regulated”. If that’s what you think I’m saying, please read my post again. Binding can affect your body dramatically and irreversibly, and trans people deserve access to information about their health so that they can make informed decisions about their bodies.
Reliable information on trans health issues is virtually nonexistent because it hasn’t been widely formally studied over decades. It’s nearly impossible for trans people to make genuinely informed decisions about their health. If we cannot talk about the risks or are shushed for talking about our experiences, people get hurt and make decisions they may later regret. Just read through the notes on this post for many, many examples.
Hiding or downplaying the risks of binding, especially from young people, is wildly irresponsible. I have no respect for you at all if you think that it’s better for kids to accidentally hurt themselves because they aren’t aware of potential dangers, than to “gatekeep” by asking them to consider their options carefully before proceeding.
The nerve damage on my left shoulder blade that causes gentle hugs to be agonizing is not an “agenda”. The fact that I can no longer safely enter water deeper than my neck because my lungs and ribcage can only expand to a fraction of what they used to is not an “agenda”. The constant aches, the faint wheeze, the tissue degradation, the fact that I’m unable to truly pursue the active, outdoorsy life I hoped for until and unless I get a surgery I can’t afford? Not an “agenda” either. I’m lucky in that I can still bind routinely and function throughout the day.
I wish I had known what I know now before I started binding. Would I have made the decision to bind anyway? Yeah, I really think I would. But I am furious that no one hit me with hard truths beforehand so my decision could have truly been informed.
It is EXTREMELY important that this circulates, especially considering that (unfortunately) tumblr is a resource for many young trans/nb people. Binding can help alleviate dysphoria, but Ship is right, it can do a significant amount of IRREVERSIBLE damage. I’m repeating this because it NEEDS to be heard and acknowledged. I understand that this is hard to come to terms with, but binding is not meant to be a permanent solution. Please take all precautions necessary when binding. Don’t try and push your body’s limits.
Please. Please be careful when binding.
the fact that there are people getting mad about this post blows my mind. op is just informing people of the risks of binding, in the same way a medical professional warns you about the side effects of a medication. they never said binding should be regulated, just that you should be careful. I cannot believe people are mad about a post about the importance of binding carefully. (if you can, you should probably run the fact that you bind by your primary care doctor so they can watch you for issues, but you don’t have to if they’re not trans-friendly or they might tell your parents or whatever)
yeah like i get chest / rib pains cuz for a year i exercised in a binder and like don’t do that y'all i have to take week long breaks from my binder
yeah, i don’t have any major complications from binding, but sometimes my chest starts to really hurt and my rib cage is somewhat damaged and my breathing sometimes compresses. one time when i was visiting my boyfriend his family didn’t know im trans (nor did they know we’re dating) and so i couldn’t take my binder off the entire time and i told him how dangerous it was to bind for more than eight hours and we both were pretty worried. and sometimes i wear my binder for hours and hours without taking a break from it. to any trans* ppl (especially young ones like me) who wear binders, PLEASE be extremely careful
when i was 14 and dumb with unsupportive parents I used an ace bandage every day for probably two years, and now I have severe problems exercising because my lung capacity is awful, and my ribs are probably warped judging by the aching pain I get sometimes. Don’t be like me, kids. Bind safe and bind smart.
Yep. Even binding for short amounts of time can be damaging if you have other health issues. I can’t bind AT ALL anymore. I can’t even wear sports bras if they’re at all tight around my ribs.
I have a lot of health problems, sure, but so do a lot of other trans kids and disabled folks. AND WHEN YOU’RE A TEEN YOUR BODY IS STILL FORMING SO BINDING CAN REALLY MESS YOU UP.
I’m not saying: nobody bind ever.
What I’m actually saying is: BE AWARE OF THE RISKS and don’t pretend everything is harmless.
If wanting people to have access to scientific information about the consequences of their actions upon their bodies makes you angry, you’re a piece of shit and should never give anyone advice.
I give sass on this website. I call stuff dumb, I swear, I say all kinds of things. But I try to avoid direct ad hominem like “you’re a piece of shit for having this opinion” because it discredits my argument.
But uh
If you have that opinion. If you want children to hurt themselves because they’re uninformed.
You’re a piece of shit. K
I feel like the original message got buried in the discourse, but it’s important so PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE BE SAFE! I had a friend who did everything right and he still dislocated his ribs. It’s really important to keep track of how the binder affects your body.
Also not only can you just hurt yourself in general, but you can cause enough damage to make top surgery not be a possibility for you in the future! Please bind responsibly and don’t hurt yourselves, guys. You’re only hurting yourself in the long term for momentary confidence. I understand the desire and I bind too of course, but your future is more important than your present.
I must once again ask what the fuck you people are doing to hurt yourselves this much. How. Legitimately, how are you managing this level of injury and still somehow “doing it right”. If you’re getting hurt, then you’re not doing it right.
Instead of fear mongering about binding, how about you tell people how to actually bind safely? Here I’ll do it for you: it’s called proper sizing and g2b.
G2b is really the only trusted name in the industry, and despite the price, you should buy from them. Save up, 60$ isn’t actually that much if you just save for a while. Or look for free raffles or anything that gets you a safe trusted brand binder. Take your measurements properly and don’t lie about it to get something smaller. Get the size recommended and follow basic common sense.
And by common sense I mean don’t wear it when you don’t have to and try and avoid too much strenuous activities. If you’ve got it properly sized, going over 8 hours and doing light activities won’t fucking kill you. It’s literally just a flat spots bra, same rules apply.
I wear mine every day. I have hiked, done extremely heavy lifting, and jogged in my binder, and have never once felt bad. No pains, no short of breath. Nothing. I pass just fine and I’m as flat as I can realistically be without hurting myself.
If you are getting extreme pains and injuries from bindering, you are plain and simple, doing it wrong. Stop telling trans people that they’ll roll over and die if they bind 28 seconds more then the recommended time, and start actually teaching them how to do it properly. Just because you fucked up and couldn’t figure this out without hurting yourself doesn’t mean everyone else will too. Don’t use anything but an actual binder by a trusted brand that is fitted properly and used when appropriate. It ain’t that deep fam.
If you admit that you bind every day and do “extremely heavy lifting” in your binder, you’re not even following some of the most widely recommended common sense advice for safe binding yourself.
I loved my gc2b binder, sized up from what my measurements suggested was a good fit. It was comfortable! It did not cause me pain while wearing it, apart from the mild soreness that even the gc2b website assures customers is normal in its FAQ. It was only after several years (taking off days) of “normal” binding that I started noticing pain from what turned out to be nerve and skeletal issues, and that’s when I stopped.
It’s been over a year and a half since I wrote this post and used a binder for more than a few hours, and while I’m relieved to say most of the problems have mostly repaired themselves (I can swim again!), I’m done. It’s lose layered shirts, sports bras, and crossed fingers for me from now on… though I still keep both my gc2b binders in my drawer anyway. I have not “rolled over and died”. I am alive, and I am coping, and my life and experiences are still worthwhile even though I am in more pain than I used to be.
Binders really aren’t “just flat sports bras”. They’re binders. Sports bras are designed to stabilize, while binders are designed to flatten. The kind of compression they offer is not quite the same, though even the band from sports bras injures some people over time.
And maybe that’s the key - “some” people. Maybe some people can bind “dangerously” for decades and get away with it without noticing problems. Good for them! And maybe some people can follow every best-practice informal rule and bind as safely as possible, but end up damaging their bodies anyway. Which people are wrong - the ones who should have hurt themselves but didn’t, or the ones who shouldn’t have but did…?
I think we can both agree that “safe” binding will limit pain and serious side effects in most people. The problem is that All People assume that they are Most People. Instead of this attitude of “You idiot, if you had negative repercussions it’s because you’re a stupid fool who did it wrong, if you followed these easy steps and bought from THIS brand, you’d be fine!”, I am advocating for a healthy sense of risk-aware caution.
Yes, of course you should wear appropriate sizes from reputable brands, limit the amount of time you wear them, and be careful of the activities you engage in. My original post gives these instructions. But, no matter how many ubiquitous “binder safety” rules you follow, the most important one is always, always “listen to your body”, because even if you do everything “right”, sometimes your body has other plans. If you’re hurt, you’re hurt, and you should never think, “But I was responsible! I followed X, Y, and Z rules! Therefore I must not really be hurt…”
Have you ever looked at the anatomy of a human back? It’s a mess. They’re very poorly designed and tend to malfunction in really stupid ways for really stupid reasons, even without binders. It’s incredibly easy to mess up your back doing innocuous everyday activities, and binders… do not tip things in your favor.
there’s no point in trying to win the approval of people who are going to declare you an enemy if you put even one toe out of line. it’s not going to work in the long term and even if it did that’s no way to live.
Actual candy-hoarding trash goblin, in these latter days of Tumblr. Now with 60% less rambling. Yes, I just made that up. Note: I cannot respond to messages 90+% of the time, and it's absolutely nothing personal. If I could turn it off completely, I would. Please don't make things awkward. Urocyon's Meanderings
The Gluten-Free Southern Cook
