that-sarah-is-such-a-cumberbitch:
HEY. PEOPLE WHO ARE BINDING YOUR CHESTS, LISTEN UP FOR LIKE FIFTEEN SECONDS.
THIS IS WHAT CAN POTENTIALLY HAPPEN IF YOU IMPROPERLY BIND WHEN YOU ARE YOUNG, OR PROBABLY IF YOU DO IT LONGTERM EVER.
DO NOT DO THIS.
when i was a wee transchild of fourteen, recently out and generally clueless, i didn’t know that there were real binders to use. so, like many young trans dudes, i used a 6" ace bandage – and it worked, for what i wanted. it was hot and uncomfortable and squeezy, but my chest was flat, so i didn’t care.
then, a year or so later, i found out about real binders, but they were expensive. at 14, with no income, despite my parents support… i couldn’t justify asking for a 30 dollar binder, so i didn’t. it wasn’t til a trip to a waterpark that i finally got my first real binder and stopped using the ace bandage.
that was ten years ago.
my ribs are permanently deformed and you can see the exact curve of the bottom line of my makeshift binder, to this day. me and Weird Rib, destined to be together forever.
please please please PLEASE do not bind with ace bandages. use sports tape on both sides and not wrapped around your chest. use sports bras. layer. buy a real binder – underworks is where i get mine and i hope other people who bind can reblog and add links and resources because i currently can’t! i know firsthand the desperation that comes with gender dysphoria and i understand the need to bind. i really, truly do – it is a core part of my presentation and i do not leave the house without binding, and i’m sure it’s similar for many of you.
but please, do it SAFELY. you will regret it if you don’t.
Reblogging for those who need it
