Hiding breasts: MTFs and FTMs, why different strategies?

[JLT1]

Hi everyone!

I'm a MTF who still works in man mode.  I'm hiding 40DDs using a New Balance Camis with a built in shelf bra, one size too small under a dress shirt that is two sizes too large.  It isn't totally comfortable but it works.  However, it would seem that if I were FTM and hiding the same size breasts, I would be binding using a very different method.
 
Why the different approaches? 

Thanks,

Jennifer

[Cindy]

Jennifer, there comes a time!!!

DD's sound like the time to me!

You are not going to be fooling anyone !

[Ms Grace]

Wow, 40DD! Do you think you will go full time soon or do you need to wait a while longer?

I'm 16A/40B (AU/US) - only just - and already finding it's not easy to keep my ladies incognito in anything but the baggiest of shirts (or with a mostly open shirt over a dark tee - learned that one from F2Ms!). Apart from being tender to pressure at the moment I sure don't want to bind them because it might impede potential growth. Still, heading into summer it's going to be tricky. If I had more head hair and was further advanced with electrolysis I'd be going full time even with my meagre bust (and showing it off!!  ).

[Lauren5]

At your size that's far past the point I'd want to go from concealing to showing off.

[Chaos]

For me personally,its all about NOT having them.And binding does that for the time being,at least for a short time.Mine are large but shaped very different then most.It makes binding semi hard depending but it also makes it easy depending.So its rather tricky.But thats my reason for binding.Until thats changed.

[Sammy]

Yeah, next summer will be fun . I am 38A at the moment and if I get lucky (and seeing my current progress, I wonder why I should not), I should end with something ~ 36B (34 if I get extremely lucky, but I cant get a clear perspective how much muscle from my upper back as still there). Well, since A cup is considered to be barely non-existant (though I would argue about that – when I am in undershirt the look is unmistakable) -  I usually wear an undershirt and long, broad sweater over it. I  have found that not only it hides the breasts, but also it conceals my somewhat hourglass frame – it is long enough to rest on my hips and fall a bit lower to cover my butt (which developed much faster than bewbs...), plus those sweaters are usually straight shaped, thus they conceal the waist as well. I also noted that dark and horizontally striped sweaters are great, because they visually broaden You up and draw away attention from areas like hips and bewbs.

[AdamMLP]

I would suspect that you have some sort of pride for them and are opposed to anything which may be damaging, such as using an actual binder. Guys, on the other hand, generally just want them gone and don't care how they end up, the saggier the better even, as they bind better.

And I know that personally I find it very hard to bring myself to wear such a female item of clothing.

[Natkat]

Nice rack.

I asked the same questions recently.  The answer is simple.  Binding tightly damages breasts.  FTMs mostly don't care, they plan to be rid of them anyway.  MTFs probably wanna rock the girls someday, they don't want them to be saggy.

yes most Ftms dont care and MTFs often tend to care.
+ as an FTM who going to choose what to bind with you may not feel so attracted to bind with a bra as binding with something who look like a shirt

[JLT1]

Thank you for the responses!

Joules – thanks for the complement.  However, I'm 6'1" without shoes so they don't look that big.  They are a total pain in the *** but I love them.  I had no idea that binding would damage the breasts.  That would have to hurt too!

Cindy – About 60% of my job is communication and work does not want me going through that "awkward stage" dressed as a woman. I do not pass, mostly in my face.  I'm off the last two weeks in Dec. and most of Jan. for FFS and recovery.  Then, it's fulltime.  I am so ready...

Grace_C  Summer is tough.  I just kept wearing my cami thing under an over large T-Shirt.  Fortunately for me, we are heading into winter where even in the office, coats are the thing.

Willow – Not really my choice if I want to keep working.  But yea, it isn't fun.

Chaos – Thank you for responding.  I understand that you don't want them and now that I understand a little more about what you go through. I am just in awe of the willingness to go through the pain that must be. 

Emily – You are looking good.  Congrads on the growth and thanks for the advice.  I thought I would make a "C".  Missed with that one.

Alexander C – I never thought about the feminine aspect of what I wear.  They look a lot like a "T-shirt" when they are tight enough.  However, I understand the problems with wearing clothing of the wrong sex.  Thank you.

Natkat – You are right and I care about mine and I didn't get the "fullness" that the FTMs didn't care.  I think that because I still have to be able to pass as a man for a while I still care about some of my male look.  I hate it but I still care, for just a little while longer.

Hugs to all!

Jen 

[Blinded Wolf]

Oddly enough, though I hate having these things on my chest, I don't want them to look completely horrific while they're there (mostly for my girlfriend's sake since she's into them).
I've toyed with the idea of binding them in the past but I never followed through. I'm in the unfortunate position of having 36Cs and an hourglass--the hardest type to convincingly bind--so I figured it wasn't worth the pain and potential complications. It's not uncommon to get painful (benign) cysts from long-term binding and I really don't want to play the 'let's fish for possible breast cancer' game since it runs in my family, either.

For now, I just end up wearing two decent sports bras (nothing worse than shopping for these damnable things and I can't wait for the day I never have to do it again) and lots of flattening button-ups. I still feel like they're disgustingly huge, but my girlfriend regularly reassures me that they appear flat enough. Dysphoria FTW.

But all of this puts a really bad hold on my ability to start HRT. I get quite enough looks without walking around with a beard and breasts, so I'm going the whole 'top surgery first' route to combat that issue.
Because as soon as facial hair starts cropping up on this mug, I'm treating that ->-bleeped-<- like golden fleece. I may never shave after spending years smooth-faced.

[JLT1]

Blinded Wolf:
Now that makes sense to me as it is more in line with my original thinking. I can relate except opposite.  Two sides of the same transgender coin? I sincerely wish that both of our bodies matched what we are.  But we will get there. 

I don't like the male aspects because they don't go with who and what I am.  But I care for them until it's time.  My wife likes my breasts as well.  I also like that she likes them.  I do what I do to hide mine and my wife assures me that they are invisible.  Yet I'm paranoid that someone form work will see who would then cause a problem.  It's very embarrassing to be presenting one way and to be seen as hiding something.

Good luck on the beard.  I had a thin one for a while but I was just hiding from myself.  Beards are good on men.   

Take Care,

Jen

[Lo]

I like mine... sometimes. I bind gently because when I do want them around, I prefer that they look good LOL. Also, I can't really bind for more than ~6hrs at a time anyway because I'm prone to back pain and have bad posture, which binding seems to worsen, so I wind up with aching in the front bottom ribs after a while.

I've been wondering lately about the prospect of getting a breast reduction so I can have my cake and eat it too...

[JLT1]

Lo,

Breast can reductions lead to scars and loss of feeling.  Unless you are really large, there are ways to hide them if needed. If there is another way to bind that would help you hide them but not damage them, that would be preferable.  There was a discussion in Transgender, Male to female, "Breasts are hard to hide" that had some ideas in it.  There was additional ideas in Tansgender, Male to female, "What do you do when your breast start becoming noticeable" that had some other ideas that might help.

Jen

[Christine Eryn]

I wear a sports bra when going stealth, which is pretty much all the time since I'm not full time. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I'm anywhere between 32DD to a 36G depending on which website calculates what. Since the weather is getting cooler I can now wear jackets and coats and not worry about binding. However, not wanting to bind anymore and not being able to hide it as well as I used to is a big part in my decision to go full time next year no matter what.

[Lo]

Lo,

Breast can reductions lead to scars and loss of feeling.  Unless you are really large, there are ways to hide them if needed. If there is another way to bind that would help you hide them but not damage them, that would be preferable.  There was a discussion in Transgender, Male to female, "Breasts are hard to hide" that had some ideas in it.  There was additional ideas in Tansgender, Male to female, "What do you do when your breast start becoming noticeable" that had some other ideas that might help.

Jen

I don't mind scars personally (I don't have a lot of sensation anyways :\), but I'd only want a reduction of one cup size and the shape is right for it, so I'm pretty sure that I'd be eligible for the liposuction variety. I definitely wouldn't do it if I had to do the more invasive kind. But a B (B+? haha) cup sounds like it would be perfect for what I need.

[JLT1]

Lo,

Even two years ago, they would not do lipo on breasts.  Now they do.  I didn't know that.  Good luck when it comes.

Thanks,

Jen 

[aleon515]

I don't like to wear girl's clothes, which bras are. Some guys do use sports bras, esp for sports and various activities. Binding also makes them saggy which wouldn't matter to us. I have top surgery on the 29th with Dr. Garramone so...
Albuquerque gets very hot in the summer!! (Sort of like Australia I'd imagine).


--Jay