How to Get a Binder as a Trans Boy + Binder Safety
BINDER ALTERNATIVES FOR A FLATTER CHEST
Dark shirts. Black shirts really flatten the chest. Avoid white or grey shirts.
Wear a compression sports bra.
Avoid cup bras. Cups are designed to make the breasts appear more shapely, fuller, and bigger. I know a lot of closeted trans guys don’t wear cup bras, but some parents won’t buy new bras if they’re “in perfectly good condition”. If that’s the case, claim you grew out of your cup bras, then ask your parents to take you shopping and pick out some sports bras instead.
Layer two shirts on top of each other. One shirt a tighter shirt such as an undershirt, with a baggy shirt over it.
THE FLATTEST CHEST WITHOUT A BINDER
Get a compression sports bra and put it on. Then, put a tank top or undershirt over that. Then, over the tank top/undershirt, put on a black shirt, preferably one also baggy. Even better, a hoodie. Avoid light colored shirts or thinner materials if you’re aiming for a flat-chest look. Generally the darker and thicker the material, the better it flattens your chest. This is why black hoodies are popular with trans boys.
EXCUSES TO GET A BINDER IF YOU’RE CLOSETED
If you’re in theater, tell your parents you’re going to play as a male role, want to go all-in, and the binder would allow you to get into character better.
Tell your parents you’re getting teased in school. I know a cis girl who was getting horribly teased by boys due to her large chest, and her mom bought her a binder. So if your parents question you before you’re ready to come out as trans, just tell them it’s common for cis girls to get binders when they get bullied for their chests.
If you’re allowed to wear boy’s clothes, tell your parents a binder will allow you to fit into your clothes better. Button down shirts are a good example of this, most are difficult to fit without a binder.
You could also tell your parents they’re in style right now, and that everyone else has one.
If you exercise, tell your parents your sports bras aren’t doing you justice and that your chest hurts when you exercise, and that you need something with more compression. (But of course, don’t actually exercise in your binder, just use this for an excuse)
Do a summer job such as delivering newspapers, washing cars, mowing lawns, dog walking, etc. Then take the money to the store and buy a gift card, such as one from Visa, then use it to order your binder. When it arrives and if your parents end up questioning you, tell them it’s a holiday/birthday gift for someone else, and that it’s a surprise. They’ll usually end up forgetting about it, especially if the birthday or holiday is months away.
Join Swagbucks. Earn money doing surveys and use it to buy a Visa card online to order your binder. I can confirm this works.
Sign up for binder giveaways. You can find these on Instagram, Tumblr, and YouTube.
Sign up for a free binder at point5cc.com/chest-binder-donation or pointofpride.org/chest-binder-donations. This method takes longer than steps #1 and #2, the waiting list is long.
If you can’t ship your binder to your house if your parents open all your mail, try having it shipped to a friend’s house (with permission), if they don’t have nosy, invasive parents. Your friend could put your package in their backpack and give it to you at school, or you could drop by early in the morning to pick it up yourself.
Don’t wear it for longer than 8 hours.
Don’t use ace bandages. Only bind with compression bras and chest binders.
Don’t sleep in your binder.
Carry a sports bra with you in case you need to take it off.
Don’t exercise in your binder. Switch to a compression sports bra instead, which still flattens your chest, but there’s no risk of injury.
Don’t order a size smaller than you need, thinking it’ll create a flatter chest. This can cause tissue damage which will make you inelligible for top surgery in the future.
Don’t wear more than one binder.
Don’t wear the binder if you’re sick, especially if it’s respiratory such as a cold or the flu.
If you feel dizzy, lightheaded, have trouble breathing, or are in any pain, take your binder off. Stretch your arms above your head, to your sides, and take several deep breaths in a row. Then cough several times to loosen any build up of fluid in your lungs. Then don’t put your binder back on.
Don’t wear binders if you’re going to be out in the heat. If you’re going to Pride Fest (or Disney World, or anywhere you’re out in the heat all day), for example, wear a sports bra instead. It’ll suck, but you don’t want to overheat and you want to be able to breathe easier since you’ll be walking all day.
If you have anxiety or are prone to sensory overload (especially from tight clothing items) map out bathrooms ahead of time in advance so that you can go in and change your binder if you start hyperventilating or, if you’re like me and have the urge to take sports bras/binders off as soon as you get overstimulated.
POSITION YOUR CHESTICLES CORRECTLY
(Don’t actually use an ace bandage, that’s just how the artist drew the picture)
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