The Clothes That Bind

Liam wrote most of this I (Lain) will be putting in my two cents in.....Lime!  Okay not really I'll just italicize.

OK so what is this awful thing we refer to as binding. Binding is a torture device developed for ftm's to help pass as male by helping to hide the "female" chest. It can be done in a variety of ways depending on your chest size and financial situation.

Like I said earlier, and I think I can speak for the both of us when I say "Boobs Suck". Aside from the sexual gratification (that can still be had after chest surgery) I really find them to be a burden. It is the ultimate hint to gender and therefore they are aggitating. Binding is a way to get around that in the interim. I bind everyday and have only once been in public with a bra in the past 6 months, I hated it and covered them as best I could. 

If you are smaller chested (lucky guys) then you can opt for the simple sports bra or tight tee shirt layers to help hide your "female" chest.

Larger guys will have the option of a couple techniques. You can use an ace bandage wrapped tightly around the chest. This is very uncomfortable and unsafe because it hinders your breathing. I tried it once...did not work at all for me.
I tried it as well and there is nothing quite like sitting there, having a fastener spring off and having a boob fall out. The bandage also tends to slide down or bunch up...neither are fun.

I know duct taping the breast back towards your armpits is a technique used in the drag king world. Hurts but works for sure...however, I don't recommend for a long period of time and you will be hurting when removing the duct tape. There is a "wonderful" compression shirt that you can buy from http://www.underworks.com/ftm The reason we call it "wonderful" is because it does its job of flattening the chest so it appears male but it is not comfortable at all. While it has improved over the past couple years.

I remember the first time I attempted to put my compression tank on. I got stuck in it and ended up rolling around on the floor while Julie and I laughed hysterically. Pulling it on over my head by myself was not an option. After we stopped laughing Julie finally helped me yank it on. I was so excited to have a male appearing chest.

As some point and time we realized its much easier to pull it up over your hips then down over your head. Until recently, know that I have more upper strength I can pretty easily pull it over my head.

I did not believe him when he said to step into it a pull it up. I put it on over my head and was stuck with my arms straight up in the air (a la Barbie) and no one was home to help but the cats (thanks guys). I eventually got it off and started the stepping in procedure.   

OK so now that the binding is on and doing its job some other not so pleasant features arrive. Like the fact that this material is non breathable; so if it's 75 and sunny outside its like 95 to someone wearing binding. The material is also very irritating to your skin, especially if you are sweating like I am, so its more comfortable to wear a shirt under this heat trap. So now you are wearing 2 additional layers of clothing...so much fun!

I have never worn a shirt under the binding. The biggest design flaw in the earlier models of binding did not account for hips and were a bit too short causing them to roll up and cut off circulation. Now they have redesigned it so it doesn't roll up and it is much more "comfortable". No Regrets
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Bottom line it is torture but absolutely necessary and I love this invention because it helps me appear the way I want to appear. Lucky for me I only have to wear my binding for 44 more days!! Sorry, Lain. Yeah, Yeah, sure.

I was telling my really good guy friend, Ryan, about this torture trap and he was very interested. He asked if he could try it some time. I knew it would be a hilarious experiment so I agreed. A few months ago he was at my apartment so I reminded him that he wanted to try this fun little activity. So he did...poor guy got stuck trying to put it on over his head and needed help. He said it was so tight and uncomfortable and he didn't even have a chest he was trying to smash in there. He said he didn't know how I could possibly wear such a thing.

I just recently found that they offer a compression swim suit which I am contemplating. There is nothing worse than wanting to swim, then realizing that you have nothing wear that won't cause everyone at the pool to stare and laugh. It's beyond the "Oh, I don't look good in a bathing suit", I can't even explain it. 

The self-esteem boost I feel we get from this is amazing. From a physical stand-point we both feel that we look much better without breasts, we are so awkward-looking with them, I realized this after glancing at some past pics. And from a more social standpoint, I know I feel more outgoing with my binding because I feel like I am who I should be and I feel much more confident. 

Breasts are the first thing people look for when they initially question gender. It's annoying, I've seen many a man with bigger boobs than I. Regardless, the physical pain is much better than the emotional pain of going though life with two breasts that feel like a constant reminder of a body that just doesn't fit right.