Advice book by a paranoid person

HOW TO NOT DIE WITH A BINDER

I know, clickbait title. These are safety rules though, and fairly basic ones in all honesty

I HAVE RECENTLY RECIEVED TELL THAT GC2B NO LONGER HAS THE SAME QUALITY THEY USED TO, PLEASE DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH AND BE CAREFUL. THIS CHAPTER WAS WRITTEN BEFORE I HEARD THAT, AND I DISRECOMMEND THAT BRAND FOR THE TIME BEING. IF I LEARN IT'S SAFE, THIS NOTE WILL BE REMOVED. ANY NOTES ON GC2B WERE BASED ON THEIR PRODUCTS A YEAR OR LONGER AGO.

-do not wear it for more than 8 hours at a time generally

-never wear it to sleep

-do not layer multiple binders, or binders with other compressive clothing around your chest

-never use ace bandages, duct tape, or anything else not specifically made for binding your chest

-buy them from a reputable source, or get them purchased for you. reputable sources I am aware of are GC2B and Underworks. Spectrum is gaining a lot of traction, but given that I have never used them and don't know many people who have if any, I will not recommend

-your body type will change which binder works best. that includes your weight, measurements required to buy one from the site, general body ratios, etc

-for some people, no binder will make them as flat as an average cis man

-some cis men grow breasts, for various reasons. there are products made for this. some use binders made for transgender people by transgender people. some use ones targeted at cis men. it is your choice ultimately, but I'd recommend the brands mentioned above from my experience

-don't buy ones with clasps, zippers, corset ties, etc. I know they're hard to get on and off, and it can be tempting to try and buy ones that do "more," or are more solidly built, but those varieties fuck up the pressure and will very likely cause more harm than help

-the goal is one of a fairly similar material that stretches in at least half of it. that is why I recommend the brands above. anything fully stiff is not safe. GC2B has styles that work for the majority of body types, including uncommon ones. Underworks is effective for most others, in one or more style, but can be more uncomfortable and run longer and less flexible

-binders won't necessarily make you pass

-extremely few people's chests are genuinely flat. if they are, their ribs are likely deformed, they are lacking a lot of muscle or fat, are not done growing, or have extremely uncommon genetics. google pictures of cis men's chests if you are self conscious about the way your binder makes yours look. look at men wearing shirts, IRL and in stock photos. do not aim for a flat chest when binding

-adjust to be comfortable

-it will be uncomfortable the first time you put it on, and difficult. there are many tutorials online and videos

-there are also videos on how to take your measurements, including for specific brands and general. watch at least two, rewatch as many times as necessary

-make sure to get the correct size, regardless of how it makes you feel emotionally. I promise it'll work better than a smaller one, and be safer and less uncomfortable. if it's too big, you'll notice. if you need advice, talk to me on it or trans people, especially trans adults online. it's also easy to find videos discussing these things. do not send pictures to strangers of you wearing it, regardless of how friendly they seem

-again, while it may be a bit uncomfortable and stiff, it should not make it difficult to breathe. if it does, something is wrong with you, the binder, how you have it on, or how long you have been wearing it

be safe out there