Evan's Declassified Trans Survival Guide

Binding, no matter what, is a dangerous game. Even if you buy a binder from a reputable source (or Transtape for that matter, but I have no experience with that.) Here are a few facts and some advice about binding:

Wearing a binder can still cause health issues such as rib problems, breathing problems, and also can damage the muscles of your chest if you do not practice safe binding techniques.

Wearing a binder gets sweaty and gross. Try to get two binders so you can wash one and still have a backup incase its not done being cleaned.

Often times wearing a binder will give you chest and/or back acne

taking off your binder isnt something really easy! Don’t panic when you try to take it off for the first time and struggle. I found that pulling it from the back to take it off makes it a lot easier for me. You might need to experiment with which way is easiest for you.

Binding for more than 8 hours has serious consequences. It hurts like a bitch. Your ribs ache, it hurts to move, sometimes it’ll make it harder to breath even if you aren’t wearing your binder.

binding for 8 hours toomany days a row without enough breaks can cause serious rib damage. (take day long breaks from binding folks)

binding unsafely can ruin any attempt at top surgery, this includes wearing a binder from GC2B for too long without breaks every few days.

While dysphoria may suck, bruising your ribs is NOT worth it. Trust me. Bind safely and avoid bruised ribs at all costs.

Hello! Thank you for your ask! Unfortunately I’m kinda in the same boat as you. I used to have some good sources on tumblr that had the results of bottom surgerys, however ever since they banned porn i havent been able to find any good sources with a majority of the different types that also have pictures of the results. I think the best decision is to maybe ask a more popular trans blog or do google searches on the ones you know the names of. If you need to know more names of bottom surgeries, shoot me another ask and I can compile a list of the ones I know of!

I understand how you feel! I struggle with the same issue. I think the first step to this is to gradually allow yourself to wear more feminine things, maybe start with only wearing them in private or around friends and then work to wearing them in public if thats what you want. You don’t need to pass 100% of the time to be trans, so if thats stopping you from identify as trans then don’t let it.

I completely understand that! The most important thing to remember is to not come out if you won’t feel safe. Regretting coming out is the worst thing that could happen, trust me. The best thing to do might be to come out to a really close internet friend at first and work your way through coming out. Ease your way into it so th anxiety becomes lesser and lesser as the days go by.

firstly, im sorry for such a late response! I’ve been trying to get off tumblr and study for midterms.

secondly, we all experience dysphoria differently. There are many types of dysphoria, whether that be body dysphoria, mind dysphoria, or social dysphoria. If you get uncomfortable when people use she/her pronouns on you... chances are you are trans. That right there is a type of dysphoria. If you always want your chest flat and your breasts make you uncomfortable because they’re existing, that is dysphoria. And the thing is, you don’t always need to be experiencing dysphoria to be trans! some days youre feelings are strong and other days dysphoria is the last thing on your mind.

One of the more safe ways to bind is with a binder that you can buy online. There are, however, two basic types of binders. One type is the half tank binder, pictured below.

Another type of binder is the full tank binder, also pictured below.

These pictures, both taken from the GC2B website, are the way the safest binders on the market look. There are multiple different colors of binders to chose from depending on the websites you look at but they should all give the same affect.

Choosing the website to buy your binder from can be a challenge. The most common websites are GC2B, Underworks, T-Kingdom, ForThem, and many other places. Generally, many people buy GC2B and there are many videos comparing GC2B binders to others and they generally tend to give a better bind. (EDIT: there has been a lot of debate about the quality of GC2B going down in recent years. Personally, I haven’t noticed much but the last one I bought was 2 or so years ago) But, ultimately, where you buy your binder is up to you.

Once you have your website chosen, now you need to decide what type of binder you want. Here are questions to ask yourself before you chose the type of binder.

Do I want a full tank or a half tank? 

There really isn’t much difference between the full tank binder and the half tank binder. They accomplish the same thing the best they can except one is slightly more expensive and has more fabric. Personally, I have found that the full tank binder rides up and does not act like a tank top no matter what you do. Even if it is tucked in. So, because of my experience, I recommend the half tank binder. But, in my research I have found that full tanks seem to fit people with larger chests better than half tanks. 

If you buy a full tank, you can always cut off the bottom half to make it a half tank. I did this with mine because the the rolling up problem it had.

Do I want a binder that has a zipper?

No, you do not. These binders tend to be more unsafe and cause more health problems. Don’t buy a binder with a zipper. 

Do I want a binder that clasps together?

Just like the answer to the previous question, no you do not. These binders are also more unsafe. Don’t buy a binder with clasps.

What color do I want?

There are many colors to chose from on some sites. If you want to be more discreet about your binder, I would recommend a nude binder that you think will be closer to your skin tone or a plain black or white one. I am not sure what websites do and don’t have skin tones but I know for a fact that GC2B has these. You may also want a colorful binder if you are not worried about discreetness. It all depends on your personal preference.

Should I buy a more expensive/cheaper binder?

Just because a binder is more expensive does not mean it is better for you. Be careful. Don’t buy a cheaper binder either because cheaper binders tend to be ones with zippers or clasps and, once again, those are not safe! Think about safety, not price.

Now that you have chosen your website and type of binder, you must find your size. For this, you will need some type of tape measure and, preferably, a mirror. To measure your chest you should take off any clothing on the upper part of your body for the most accurate measurement. (disclaimer: this measurement system is taken from GC2B. If you can’t tell I really support them.)

To measure your chest, you should measure around the part with the most breast tissue. Usually this is around the nipples, so you should most likely be measuring this over your nipples. Make sure you wrap the tape measure all the way around your chest (DO NOT WRAP IT TOO TIGHTLY! This will result in a binder that is too small. Make sure it is not too loose either, it should be straight around the chest and should not curve.) and look in the mirror to take not of how many inches/centimeters your chest all the way around is. If this measurement has a fraction greater than 1/4″ then you should round up. (EX: if your measurement is 37 1/2″ round up to 38″)

Depending on the website this may be the ending of your sizing adventure and all you need to do is check the sizing chart. If you are in between sizes, it may be safer to buy the bigger size.

Some websites recommend taking more measurements than just this- ones that will double check your size. Make sure you check the websites sizing chart and/or guide just to make sure your are getting the right size.