#general binding

There’s a few! This is my preferred method for binders longer than a crop top:

1) Pull the bottom hem up to the armpits so it’s folded in half.

2) Wriggle into this condensed creature arms first. Get stuck a little bit the first time. Curse. Thrash. Apply arm-strength and perhaps the help of a friend.

3) Pull the hem down till it’s straightened out.

4) Rearrange yourself underneath the binder ‘til you like how it feels.

5) Go forth into the world! (Optional.)

Hello!

Honestly in my opinion a standard binder offers some support. If you try one out and find it’s not enough, we can add an extra layer of mesh across the back upon request.

Thanks for writing!

Binder first, deodorant second, is how I do it.

You have to come to terms with the fact that the binder is, sometimes, a wrestling opponent. And you won’t always win. (I mean, hopefully 90% of the time.) But trying to keep it away from your underarms just gives you a handicap in the match, so to speak.

Hi there!

It is true that for years chest binders have only come in white, black, or beige, because the idea – even back when they were only being marketed to cis men with gynecomastia – was that it is something that should be hidden.  Having to wear a chest binder was an indication that there was something wrong, and so in order to not let people find out that there was something wrong with you, you went to as many pains as possible to make sure no one saw it.

But the thing is, underwear is a multifaceted, complicated, very personal thing -and we see our binders as underwear!

If you go to any store that sells undergarments, you’ll see options that range from aggressively modest, to downright jovial, to titillatingly scandalous.

So we ask you: Why shouldn’t binders have the same options?

Of course the bright flashy glittery prints aren’t for everyone – which is why we offer basic white and black, and a wide range of nudes.  But some folks do want the colors, the flash, the option to strut around in a garment that says, “I’m trans and I’m AWESOME!” And they should get that chance.

Even when they’d rather be or have to be more discreet, most colored non-flimsy shirts cover up anything funky they might be wearing underneath.  Just think about all of the brightly colored, loudly patterned bras that places like WalMart and Target sell and try to remember the last time you actually noticed someone just walking down the street wearing one under their clothes.

We’re guessing it’s almost never happened.  Why?  Because people who want or need to cover up their underwear know how to do it.

It is 2016 and trans identities and rights are finally making long strides towards being validated, and we feel that it’s well past time for trans identities to also be celebrated.

You see, this isn’t just a business venture for us.  Unlike other major binder companies, we are also part of the trans community. We want to celebrate our genders, and we know there are others out there like us who want to be able to celebrate theirs too, or we wouldn’t be well into our second year of business!

The fact of the matter is that trans people – just like cis people – like to wear things that make them look and feel good, and not everyone gets that from solid white, black, or beige.

Hi there!

1) Absolutely not!  For one thing we personally identify as nonbinary.  We sell to trans man, nonbinary people, cosplayers, cis women, anyone who wants or needs to bind for any reason.  We are not here to gatekeep; if anything aside from the obvious “making a living,” we’re here to normalize binding.

2) If you find that you’re binder isn’t binding you to your satisfaction anymore, then it’s time to buy a new one.  A binder is like any other piece of clothing, it wears out the more you wear and wash it.  There are things you can do to help it last longer – wash in cold water on a gentle cycle, hang dry, have more than one at a time so you’re not wearing the same one every day, you can even send it to us to freshen up the seams for you.  But ultimately there will come a day when you’ll just be better off replacing it.

Thank you! And it’s a fair concern. From what I’ve been able to tell, this is a materials issue - Underworks binders loosen out after about a year or two, and GC2Bs go much sooner ‘cause their back panel is so thin, it stretches out and doesn’t spring back.

Our fabrics are closer to Underworks’, so our binders last longer. I’ve tried tightening up a binder that was already stretched out, but that just turned it into something stiff and unsafe.

I’m afraid cheap sports bras are not likely to be made of anything strong enough to bind. If you take it in from the ribcage-fitting state it is now, you risk damaging your ribs for little to no reward.

Hello, anon! Binders totally can work for you!

Here’s an answer I bet you weren’t expecting: you might be trying them too tight. At a certain uncomfortable tightness, we lose the ability to move our chests around underneath the bind, and it just squishes everything together into the dreaded uniboob.