Hey I've read your posts on binding, but I have a story set in the 1100's and the only binding option that would be available is bandages. Is it okay if they bind with bandages but I make it explicitly clear not to bind with bandages and a character breaks a rib from it or something?
This is historically and factually untrue, and this guide covers a few different options that would work for this time period. I would suggest (both from the guide) looking into addition methods or wrapped cloth. Sarashi would also be an idea if your story is specifically set in Japan.
As well, tensor/ace bandages literally were not invented at that point. (They were invented in 1914.) These specifically are the kind of bandages most people are referring to when warnings are made saying they should not use bandages for binding. Our modern tensor/ace bandages are designed to constrict with movement, which includes breathing and is not designed for use outside of injuries. I think you already are familiar with the repercussions of that, so I’ll save the trouble of going into it. (It’s also featured in the link on them.)
But bandages in use in that era would not be quite the same. The elastic wasn’t even invented for use in clothing at all until the 1820s. It’s still a while off that these things would work together to become a health hazard to chest-binding folk.
Not that bandages, in general, are perfect for this task, but the kind from 1100 are not what people warn about today, to the degree that they do.
Gauze and other fabric-style bandages would have existed then, which would probably make sense in this context for binding. I know that Tamora Pierce’s Song of the Lioness series featured a character who used bandages for binding and looking back, I realize automatically assume still that the bandages in reference were gauze-style cotton. I can’t remember if this was made very clear or not but it is how I remember it. I don’t think that’s a necessarily commonplace assumption, so if you do go the bandages route you’ll probably need to clarify.
Unless used in ways which would be clearly painful to probably the point of it being more painful than binding, breaking a rib might not be that rational of a ‘punishment’ for binding. You would also need to have evidence of the hazards of someone not listening to their body involved. Maybe pursuing some kind of drastic physical labour without loosening or adjusting the binding accordingly.
But personally, I don’t like that rationale of punishing a trans character for the purpose of giving some kind of health message. (Like I know this is not the intention at all, just to be clear. It’s an element most people don’t really consider in these topics, and even though it directly affects me as someone who did have no other options in the past, it has taken me a long time to realize what about these situations rubbed me the wrong way.)
Depending on where this is and the common amount of healthcare knowledge and so on, I’d worry that it could just honestly spread misinformation about the risks and harm reduction of binding with bandages.
Binding with any method (except addition methods - although they do have different risks) involve risking your breathing ability and the like. In my opinion, it’s not productive just to scare people away from talking about it if they are going to use tensor/ace bandages anyway.
My personal approach is in a vein similar to how abstinence-only sex “education” doesn’t work. It’s not responsible for the sake of public health to go around saying that something that people are definitely going to do anyway will kill them or whatever.
Yes, there are increased risks, but there are things that can be done to curb those effects. Those things need to be amplified, much more than people who use stigmatized binding methods deserve to be stigmatized. (As in, they don’t deserve to be stigmatized.)
Anyway, that got tangential, sorry!
In my opinion, the ideal binding method for this era would be wrapped cotton in a zig-zag pattern. Looping around arms as much as possible, rather than only using the back as tension, so as to maximize breathing room.
The looser and softer the weave, the easier on the skin as well as the breathability of the fabric. This is especially ideal if it is summer in your setting.
Over this, a loose shirt. Otherwise, layering with the top layer being the loosest can also work.
You could also add something (see: addition methods) to the shoulders somehow to balance out the appearance of where the body is carrying bulk. If the shoulders and arms and stomach are similar in volume and bulk, it draws attention away as well.- mod nat
