Binding Stuff
or, In Defense of T-Kingdom
Every now and then, I see binding information that goes around that lumps T-Kingdom in with several other binder companies as being “bad binders.” The companies that it gets lumped in with are ones that tend to use non-stretchy/non-breathing materials, and T-kingdom does not belong in that category. These posts also often do the “the only good binder companies are Underworks (and GC2B).” The other thing that I often see is “avoid ones marketed to lesbians and tomboys.”
Now, other than the T-kingdom thing, none of this is outright bad advice, but the things sort of tie together.
- Underworks binders can be great. If they fit you. If you are built like me, they don’t. They’re also expensive, and don’t have the greatest longevity (at least from my experience and the experience of some other people that I know)
- GC2B is a legit great company. I love what they do, they put a lot of work into their binders, and they make a great product that works for a bunch of people I know. They also don’t fit me though. I was concerned when I looked at their website and by the measurements, I could have been anything from a small to an extra large. Concern turned out to be right, but I’ve tried on a few other sizes from friends and they all don’t fit, and ended up with my GC2B binder being my backup binder. (It fits just well enough that I can use it, but it’s not super comfortable.)
Now we’re going to come back to where I started with this, which is the T-kingdom thing. A lot of Asian binder companies, and specifically binder companies in Taiwan are marketed to trans men, lesbians, and tomboys. This does not carry the same context as an American or European company advertising the same thing. The cultural context is such that this is actually a fairly sensible thing to market, and it isn’t necessarily indicative of lower quality (not saying that they’re all good, but that there are cultural reasons why something being marketed for lesbians and tomboys as well as trans men is actually aiming to be the same thing that something aimed at trans me in the US/Europe would be).
- T-kingdom uses a lot of the same materials as high quality athletic sports bras. Including some zipper elements that allow for front fasten that are flat and don’t pinch (though I’m sure that there are potentials for them to be not compatible with wardrobes).
- T-kingdom has binders that have lasted me years (in contrast to every other company that I’ve tried where the poor fit issues mean that as soon as it stretches at all it is useless so a few months)
- T-kingdom, like a lot of the other binder companies from Taiwan and Asia in general, caters to a rather specific body type. And honestly, these days, in the US, I recommend that people try GC2B first, but if like me, you have fit issues because of your build, T-kingdom might have better fits. Mostly, I vouch for their pull over and zip front things, but that’s partially because have a personal deep seated loathing for velcro in all shapes and forms and contexts.
Basically, they don’t deserve the bad reputation that they get, especially since all the things that I’ve heard people say against them are things that I have had happen sooner and worse with binders that generally get praised. Not everyone has the same body type, and it means that not everyone needs the same binder style and brand. Most of the time the brands cater to a specific build, and I happen to fall into the one that T-kingdom is good for.
Bind smart, pay attention to your body, but don’t feel like you’re doing it wrong if Underworks or GC2B doesn’t work for you. They are both good brands (especially GC2B), but they don’t work for everyone. If you fit in something else better, watch out for things that don’t stretch or breathe, and do go read reviews.
