Chest binding made me euphoric. But doing it wrong almost ruined my life.

[Jessica_Rose]

Chest binding made me euphoric. But doing it wrong almost ruined my life.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/wellness/chest-binding-made-me-euphoric-but-doing-it-wrong-almost-ruined-my-life/ar-BB1lJ3Fy?ocid=windirect&cvid=8cc362e8eb9443a397d0ccdd9f80eca6&ei=52

Story by Molly Sprayregen (18 April 2024)

In my early thirties, I suffered a binding injury that would end up defining my career... The more I experimented with genderqueer expression, the more apparent it became that I was unseen by the world. And then a friend of a friend offered me one of their old binders.

It was stained from the previous owner's sweat and frayed where it had been cut shorter, but when I put that ratty thing on for the first time, I felt positively euphoric. I was suddenly aware of the dysphoria that I couldn't even name until I felt it abate.

Though binding was an integral part of how I coped with my dysphoria, I had to prioritize my physical health; I'd let it go on too long. I was too injured to bind for short periods—even when it mattered most. Whenever I put on my binder, the crushing ache in my chest became intolerable almost immediately.

In 2015, I heard about a new, safer binder called gc2b. I purchased one immediately. The euphoria returned the minute I put it on. I'd been frozen in place on my gender journey. Now I finally resumed becoming my truth in the world.