#binder psa

My bio females listen up. Binding is a topic that you can usually find a lot of information about within the trans and cosplay communities. I started binding because of cosplay then continued outside of it for obvious reasons.

There are many different types and brands of binders, from half shirts to full shirts. There are some made with stretchy fabric and some that work with the natural squish of your boobs. I've found the big name binders to be really expensive, especially with the college students budget I had at the time, so I went to Amazon, found one for cheap and I've had it ever since.

Now binders are great for giving you the closest to a flat chest one can get with boobs. But there are some dangers. When buying a binder be honest with the size chart and read the reviews. Don't get a size smaller than what you need cause you can hurt yourself. As a cosplayer, I usually wear mine for an entire con day which can be over 8 hours. Don't do that unless you're as comfortable in your binder as I am in mine.

DON'T WEAR IT IF IT HURTS! Binders are not supposed to hurt. They're supposed to be as comfortable if not more comfortable than a bra. If you're wearing a binder and it starts hurting TAKE IT OFF. Pain does not mean it's doing it's job.

The other day I put on my binder and after a few minutes my ribs started hurting faintly. I’d seen posts on tumblr on what to do, so I took it off but tried to not speak of it sense I would be riding in a car for 30 minutes with a very... rude father.

I hadn’t seen a post on what to do if you can’t immediately see a nurse/doctor, so here it is:

Take the binder off immediately. Every post will tell you that, but it is so important.

I am serious. Take it off. Lower body dysphoria with a sports bra, 1-2 tank tops, what you can that will not hurt you.

If you only had it on for a very short amount of time, apply slight pressure to your ribs if you’re going anywhere, which I can imagine you are.

If you are still at home, cancel whatever you had to do (if you can) and put a heating pad on your waist. Keep it on medium-high.

If you don’t have a heating pad, a warm washcloth will do just as fine, but will wet your shirt and have to be re-heated.

Stay in bed. Keep the heat on your waist.

Every few hours, check how much it hurts. If it continues to hurt throughout the whole day, continue to a doctors office.

If it stops, then yay. Be gentle with yourself for the next few days. Don’t lift heavy objects, play sports, etc.