Binding/ru: Difference between revisions

Binding is practised by many kinds of people, including [[transgender men]] who haven't had [[top surgery]] (meaning bilateral mastectomy, in this case called FTM chest reconstruction), [[cisgender men]] with breasts (gynecomastia), [[drag]] kings (performing artists who do a male impersonation act), [[transgender women]] in situations where they need to look male (such as early in transition, with people they haven't [[coming out|come out]] to yet), and some [[nonbinary]] people who want an [[androgyny|androgynous]] look. Because this is a temporary effect, some [[transgender]] and [[gender non-conforming]] people either bind their breasts or wear [[breast prostheses]] at different times. This is one solution for [[genderfluid]] people who wouldn't be satisfied with the permanence of surgery or [[hormone therapy]].

First of all, here's the horror-story cautionary tale part, and it's gross, so brace yourself. Most home-made binding methods can cause serious injury! You might hear about people who bind with duct tape, ACE bandage, saran wrap, or layering bras in complicated ways, but don't try it. Those can cause fainting, break ribs, injure lungs, cause skin infections, scarring, or death. They can need surgery to repair scarring or other damage. Home-made binding methods might bind so much tighter than is reasonable that they cut off circulation and cause tissue death.