By: Taylor B. (they/them)
Growing up, I always felt different than my female peers. I dressed more like a boy and wanted
to do “boy” things. That being said, I never really felt one with my body. Along with that as I went
through high school my dad asked me, “Why don’t you dress/act more like a girl?” At the time I
didn’t have an answer for that, but as I became an adult I became more in tune with my body
and sexuality. I found that one of the main reasons I felt uncomfortable in my body was my
breasts. I then found out there was something called chest binding, so down the rabbit hole I
fell.
Chest binding isn’t as simple as it may sound, there are good and healthy ways of doing it but
there are also bad and dangerous ways of binding. There are two main ways of chest binding,
cloth binders and kinetic tape. Chest binding is mainly used to help give transgender and
non-binary people a sense of gender euphoria, but for some this doesn’t do enough and that’s
when it gets dangerous. Some people don’t find that they’re getting the best flattening effects
from binding and will do anything to get their desired effect, especially when top surgery isn’t an
option.
In an Instagram post by @forthem, a brand that makes chest binders, it has things to consider if
you’re new to binding, but the main point in the post is that it can be dangerous. How can it be
dangerous? Well if you bind too tightly it can restrict your breathing, irritate your skin, break skin
around the edges of the binder or tape, cause overheating, and worst of all, bruise or fracture
your ribs. Long term effects include chest and back pain according to WebMD.
How can you avoid this but still get maximum gender euphoria? According to the same post by
@forthem, make sure you can easily breathe, wear them for the shortest amount of time
possible, remember to take a break, and be mindful of what you’re doing when wearing a
binders to lessen the adverse effects.
How can you support your non-binary/transgender friends that may be struggling with their body
image? Respect how they choose to present themselves and their identity. The way non-binary
and transgender people, or anyone for that matter, choose to show their identity may change
from day to day. Some days they may want to present more masculine/feminine, or even
androgynous! So supporting them in their choices and exploration will give them that gender
euphoria that we try hard to achieve.