How to bind with a big chest?

[Everybody's Watson]

Hey there! I'm sorry if this is in the wrong area, but I didn't know where else to file the question. I am a genderfluid person who, unfortunately, was born female and is well-endowed. It bothers me more frequently than it probably should that I can't pass as male, or at least appear to be androgynous. I tried the tip of wearing a compression-style sports bra, but it doesn't always work with a size 34 DD. If I hunch over and wear baggy clothes, I can sort of pass, but I'd really like an alternative to that. Does anyone have binding or at least chest-concealing tips for my guy days? Thanks in advance. :)

[Everybody's Watson]

Quick update: I just thought of something I forgot to add. I don't have a lot of money, having just moved out, and I know that binders can be expensive. Does anyone have any low-cost/diy ways to appear more androgynous?

[Evren]

There are ways to make a DIY binder, I haven't looked into them but they exist. Also there are binder exchanges for once guys have gotten top surgery, they get rid of their binders for free. A good binder is about 35-40 dollars however there are cheaper ones that some people on this site have talked about but I haven't tried. Hopefully Heart will drop in, they had some good tips the last time this came up. If you practice male body language that can help a lot, with appearing male or androgynous. Speaking in a lower voice also helps. Layers are your saving grace, and will help hide breasts.

[Star Bit]

As far as i know, the DIY stuff is dangerous/has a fair probability of damaging your nerves, which results in permanent pain (and why i don't suggest it); as is wearing a brand name binder too long. You should also not wear any type of binder to bed because sleeping lowers pulse and cerculation and you already have something adding to that, which can result in death or aforementioned nerve damage. The DIY stuff should be very temporary; a few hours at most; certainly not half a day. Brand name binders come in any bust size, but don't expect it to completely disappear. You'll probably still have to wear baggy shirts to fully cover it. I've seen youtube videos of large busted people in binders.

[Evren]

As far as i know, the DIY stuff is dangerous/has a fair probability of damaging your nerves, which results in permanent pain (and why i don't suggest it); as is wearing a brand name binder too long. The DIY stuff should be very temporart; a few hours at most.

Oh I didn't know that. :(, that's not good.

[deltaX]

I'm also AFAB and although I don't identify as male-gendered or gender-fluid, I dislike my large chest and occasionally feel an urge to hide my large breasts without the hassle of actually binding. I've found a combination of layers and/or baggier clothes to be really good at making me look flatter than I really am. If you're not going anywhere where you have to dress professionally, I would recommend investing in a hoodie that's a size or two bigger than what you'd usually wear. My favorite hoodie is a size up from my usual because I couldn't get it in the correct size, and whenever I wear it I look pretty flat, especially if worn with a sports bra.

As Star Bit said, I've heard a lot of DIY binding can have health risks, so make sure to do your research and make sure any binding you're doing (whether DIY or not!) is safe.

[PhoenixButterfly]

I've been wondering about this too. For a long time, I was big busted and hated it. Now, I've lost a lot of weight and my bust size is smaller. I went from a 40D to a 36A in just 18 months. But I've been looking around at binders on Amazon and I'm not sure what to get. I looked at one and it had a size chart, but in some of the reviews people said that the binder was too small. It was only about $5 for one and it resembles a sports bra, but it's adjustable in the back like a normal bra. Plus, it said there was free shipping and the reviews said that it comes in discreet packaging. I'm not sure if I should get one or look at other binders. I think I want to get one that looks like a sports bra, but there's also one that looks like a tank top. Which one do you think would work better? I think they're both adjustable. Does anyone know of a good brand of binder? I don't want to order one and then get it and find out that it doesn't fit or doesn't flatten my chest at all. I have the money for it. My mom gives me Amazon gift cards on a regular basis. I guess she feels like she needs to reward me for feeding the animals every day. I feel a little bit guilty spending it because I would feed them for free. But whenever I try to offer it back to her, she tells me I've deserved it.

Anyway, does anyone have any binder recommendations?

[Heart]

I'm a 32DD, so I know your pain. I don't always feel the need to present masculinely, but when I do, I have a few tricks up my sleeve.

First off, don't do DIY binders. At best, they won't work, and at worst they'll damage something. If you feel you really do need to, then make sure it's something that's easy to take off quickly, and take it off the instant you feel any kind of pain whatsoever, or shortness of breath, or tingling sensation anywhere. Paranoia is your friend in this case. But just don't do it. Professionally made binders are made to flatten you as much as medically possible without causing damage; trust them. Also, wear the right size! A binder that is too small for you will not flatter you; they are designed to be as good as they can be if they fit properly. A binder that is too small will only do a worse job, just like a bump up bra that is too big isn't going to make your chest look any bigger either. In both cases, clothing that doesn't fit just looks bad and doesn't help. Spend the time to get a properly fitting one if you can.

To be honest, I used to also lament the fact that a binder really can't make our chests flat. But over time, I've found better ways of going about it. For one, no one worth paying attention to is staring at your chest. It's only one part of what makes people gender you, so be wary of focusing too much on it. If you focus solely on the chest and never pay attention to other gendered details, then you'll never look masculine no matter how flat you get your chest. Thing sI have found most effective in helping with my dysphoria include working out my arms and shoulders. I find that the more visible muscle I have there, the more I can walk confidently and misdirect attention to that rather than my chest. I mean, granted, at my best fitness level I look like a rather lanky dude; it's much harder to put on muscle with oestrogen pumping around the system than more testosterone. But still, weak dude is much better than female.

Another thing is to wear "men"s clothing strategically. If you're like me, you'll have trouble fitting them over your hips, so I tend to go with women's pants but men's shirts over a binder. Sleeves that are narrow will make your arms look more impressive on the muscle front (baggy sleeves just make your skinny arms look even skinnier in comparison), but try to avoid spandex-like clingy fabrics, as those tend to be read as more feminine. I have never experimented with make up, but a quick search on youtube always reveals amazing tricks to masculinize an AFAB face. I have promised myself that one day I'd give it a try, but I wager it'll take a LOT of practice! They always make it look so easy.... :P

Remind yourself that men have contours on their chests too. The number one mistake I think that AFABs make when flattening their chests is to flatten too much. Remember, even AMAB men have pecks. I like to joke to those who know me and know I'm AFAB, that I just have monster pecks. Like, don't you even think about messing with me ;) But seriously, don't aim for flat. Look on the internet for pictures of cis men that look to have about the same body type as you (ie the same level of muscle definition or percentage fat content). They won't have flat chests, I can almost guarantee it. So aim not for flat, but for what you see. I hate the word "moobs" but that's the kind of thing I'm trying to get at; men store fat on their chests too, or have muscles there.

In short, compression bras are probably ok enough to get you passing if you work on the other areas of yourself. Yes, a well fitting binder will do better, but really not that much better. And if you get it too flat, it'll be just as odd looking as if you wore a push up bra with the rest of you mascuinized; either end of the spectrum is going to just look off somehow. So work on minimizing the bumps, but my best advice is not to obsess over getting rid of them completely. Focus on a wholistic approach. It'll take a lot of practice (even I'm not anywhere near passing to strangers, but I don't really try that hard either, and it takes the best of us years sometimes to find our masculine selves), but try to remember the progress and not get discouraged

Does that help? There are also a lot of binder recycling programs, as mentioned above, or donation places. It depends on where in the world you are, I honestly don't know if they ship to Alaska or not.

Some places that give out free binders to those who are in financial need:

FTME Free Youth Binder Program

Transguys: Where to get free or reduced price chest binders

TransActive In a Bind: Where pre-owned binders get new homes

Neutrois Nonsense's list of places to look for free binders

Point 5cc Chest Binder Donations

Those are the ones I know of. I haven't used any of them myself, so I can't vouch personally for them, and they all have their own target audiences and areas of the world, but they might be worth a check.

PhoenixButterfly, as for where to get a good one if you're not worried about pricing; my personal preference was T-Kingdom. I got their zipper front sports bra like binder, here. I used to own one from Underworks too, the full tank top version, but I didn't like it myself. I have heard good things, and other people like them, but for me the tank top ones are uncomfortable. They either have compression fabric all the way down, which leads to uncomfortable compression on your stomach, or they stop under the chest and there is an obvious seam in the fabric and change in fabric type. Personally, I wouldn't wear either of them as a tank top on their own; they wouldn't pass as normal clothing. So I figure there's no real point in the full length binders, and I have the one now that just goes over the chest. It's MUCH easier to get in and out of (which is not at all a trivial task with the tank ones), and is more comfortable to me. I like the zipper one specifically, because if I find myself in public and need to get it off for whatever reason (maybe I've been out much longer than I thought I would, and I'm reaching my time limit), then I can just undo the zipper a little and it acts like a normal bra for the most part, without needing to change or bring a spare bra with me everywhere. The T Kingdom binders do tend to be a little on the pricier side, but I do think you get what you pay for.

I've also heard good things about GC2B, but never tried them myself. If money is not an object, then I always recommend owning at least two binders; that way you can wear one while the other is in the wash. They need washing just like any other piece of underclothing!

[LadyErzsebet]

I'm personally pretty attached to my GC2b binder--it works pretty well for me in terms of not being too uncomfortable (I tend to have a fair amount of joint and muscle pain, so no kind of binder can ever be entirely comfortable for long periods) and flattening my chest. I don't have a particularly large chest, but it is fairly "dense" and so doesn't really bind entirely flat :/ Still, GC2b works pretty well and I recommend it highly. Follow ALL of the binder safety tips; never sleep in it, don't slouch, listen to your body, ease into it, don't wear it too long, take breaks, get the right size, etc. Trust me, you'll feel it if you don't. I do not recommend it--its not fun and you usually have to take time off from binding, which kind of makes it not worthwhile in the first place. If you have dysphoria mostly in public, consider not wearing your binder while you're by yourself. I always take mine off in my room so that I can rest up to wear it in public again.

In terms of clothing, the fabrics you're working with matter a lot. A thicker material button-down shirt for example doesn't cling to the contours of the body in the same way as a t-shirt does and so does a lot more to hide curves, even if its more fitted.

Good luck!

[PhoenixButterfly]

Thanks again, Heart. You give awesome advice. How do you know so much about this stuff? (That's a rhetorical question, btw.)

You've convinced me to not get a binder after all. What you said about contours makes total sense. I just couldn't see it myself, I guess, because my gender dysphoria has been affecting me so much recently. I was lifting dumb bells and doing sit-ups simultaneously for a while back in the fall before I moved here. I stopped because I got sick on the road trip out here. Then I started again until I changed my morning routine. I guess I should find some time to do it at least a few times a week, if not every day. For the past month, I've been working out on my new exercise bike to strengthen and tone my legs. I think it's shown some progress in my hips and waist. So, that's good, I guess. I was doing a 30-minute session every day, but after a couple of weeks, I decided to cut it back to only 3 to 5 days a week.

LadyErzsebet, you're right about the button-down shirts. I got some when I went shopping for clothes last year because nothing fit me anymore after I lost so much weight. I love wearing button-down shirts. My mom said they looked feminine, but I just don't see it. Maybe she was talking about the adjustable buttoned sleeves. Two of them are a colorful plaid and two are different shades of blue. All four shirts are women's clothing, but I don't see them as being feminine so I really love them. My mom says my new bras make me too flat-chested, but I didn't see it at first. Even though I'm a size 36A now, I still sometimes hate having them. I don't think they'll get any smaller now. Now I'm just trying to focus on building a little more muscle and losing some body fat. And I've decided to start eating more fruits and vegetables. It's not that I don't like fruits and vegetables. I just forget to eat them. Sometimes, I forget how much I like apples, grapes, oranges, and strawberries. Carrots and salads are good too. I just need to start eating healthier snacks in the afternoons.

[Jobastian]

Making your own binder is not a good idea. It can cause all types of problems for you, short and long term.
There are binder give aways some places - however i don't really know of them. But they are there.

In my younger days i used bandages and sport tape. Not a good solutions for many reasons.
So when i discovered underworks and got a binder from them, my world changed. I love those binders. Getting them on for the first few times however, is a whole lot of fun! And if you are a large size, do not go with the draw up from your legs - you will get stuck - I did :D

I have a fairly large chest and my binder size is large. But the tips got was to kinda rearrange the "chestyness" around a bit. Pull and tuck i guess.
I can't have anythings tight on. But my large shirts and pullovers and hoodies works.

Most important is however: Going outside feeling great about yourself and who you are, actually does make a difference to how people see you.

I hope it helps a bit?

[Star Bit]

(If you frequently wear a binder then your boobs won't hold up; they'll end up looking saggy. There are "wearing binder after X amount of years" videos)