Susan's Place Transgender Resources

my boyfriend and i have been dating for about 6 months and we havent left our town together yet. for you guys in new york or detroit or san fran-diego-angele-whatever in huge cities or even big towns, you may not know what its like to be 18 or so and for "going out" to mean "going to wal-mart and getting groceries for his dad". i know i live in the south, but theres big cities here, i think, but for my town, it is about 40 miles from the closest starbucks or any similar place; ihop is a fancy place we travel 2 or 3 towns over, a 50 minute car ride, we plan a DAY for; and mcdonalds, kfc, wendys, and tacobell are the ONLY "restaurants" here and the ONLY shopping place is the wal-mart.
well, this weekend my boyfriend and i are planning to go see a movie. this will be about 40-50 minutes in the car to a chain-theatre type place to see 50 shades of grey [shush, we are seeing it to see how bad it will be and to see the audience itself, thatll be funny, i guess]. we have eaten at mcdonalds for a 5-10 minute "meal" and weve been to a low class buffet, we also, as ive said, went shopping for his groceries together many times [we each live with our own parents], and things like that; but we havent been anywhere most people would consider an actual "date" as a teenager. like on movies and on tv, teens go to the mall, go to restaurants, go to theatres, to skating rinks, things like that, not chain restaurants where we cant even go into the bathroom for fear of a turd in the sink.
anyway, this is our first time going to a placey kind of place with not as much urine on the floors or walls of the bathroom or vomit on the counters. and i never really cared how i looked at those places, until right now, at the moment i am writing this... i havent started transitioning REALLY, but i can look boyish sometimes, im chubby i guess, i have large thighs and tits, i little bubble of fat under my navel and i have a round face i guess... well, i had just lost most of my belly, thats why i have like 24" circum. of thighs and only a tiny blub of fat under my navel, ive gone dairy free/mostly veggie and my tummy disappeared but my thighs are here to stay for now.
i have been thinking of binding, but the binder i want is about $35, thats about $30 more than i have to spend. im a 36DD or 36DDD (havent measured recently but my boyfriend thinks theyve grown again) and i was wondering if i could bind using tape and ace bandages together just for a day at the theatre and see if i can pass, obviously with my boyfriend, pass as a gay couple, hes 5'11 and im about 5'6.
i was thinking i could use tape like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OddYY0jQtm0
doubled with some ace bandages
no local stores here sell the ones like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_gmNH-iE7s
so i was thinking i could use the ever so cheap and everywhere: wrist and ankle or whatever ace bandages. the ones here are approx. 3 in x 5 yds and about $2 per roll
i was thinking if i use a few of them, i could probably be flat enough to pass. as ive said, these tits are huge and i have ripped through 5 yards of elastic bandage with them the first few times ive tried binding. thats why im also thinking of taping
i know you guys on here recommend a fat no on tape and/or ace bandages but im only doing this for a day or even a few hours.

and in case calling them tits or anything has offended anyone...well uh.... sorry? i dont have much, if any body dysphoria, i really only have a social anxiety with being thought of as female. i can have vaginal sex with my boyfriend or be naked with anyone and be fine as long as they accept me as male and see me as nothing else but that. im sort of an exhibitionist...

anyway, thanks guys for any feedback or suggestions
also later i might post my pics and id appreciate if you guys can help suggest changes to my hair or glasses or clothes to help manly-fy myself in the gayest manliest way possible <3



Edited for Language

gah, these are all awful options. I've had duct tape rip off my skin and ace bandages have mysteriously came undone. I guess if you don't have money or time to deal with shipping a hernia support might be the best bet. Or maybe a small sports bra...just layer everything.

Hey Jasper,

have you looked on tumblr for free binder give aways? Some post-op guys give theirs to guys in need.

The reason ace bandages are not recommended is that they don't give -- like a binder would -- but get tighter as you move in them. So you may end up breaking your ribs or damaging your lung somehow. So yeah, not recommended, but I guess you knew I'd say that.

Have you tried binding with two sports bras?

Worst possible thing. You can break your ribs, cause lung disease, otherwise hurt yourself.  I agree with small sports bra or hernia, other options are  neoprene back brace are a couple safer options. There are ways to bind with a t-shirt, might look up that. Another is control top panty hose (google this).

Be safe and have a good time on your date.

For future notice, check out youtube and groups that give away free or low cost binders. Here's one link but just put FTM free or low cost binders.
http://tumblr.transguys.com/post/33859957893/free-cheap-ftm-binders

--Jay

Quote from: Nygeel on February 14, 2015, 12:46:39 AM
gah, these are all awful options. I've had duct tape rip off my skin and ace bandages have mysteriously came undone. I guess if you don't have money or time to deal with shipping a hernia support might be the best bet. Or maybe a small sports bra...just layer everything.

well ive decided to go with duct tape and ace bandages for tomorrow since i can drop by the dollar general quickly before the date with $10 and get what i need, but ive looked on the link aleon provided and ive submitted a request also in a few months i might be able to get $30 and i could buy a binder myself
(i live with my parents and no jobs are hiring around me, within 30 miles, so i have no money)

Hey, I know you're working with the ace bandages and such, as you've heard that these are GODAWFUL options.


But here's something that helped me with my first binder: http://www.ebay.com/itm/undershirt-breast-binder-chest-binder-FTM-Bandage-lesbian-Transgender-Hherenow15-/331418056832?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&var=&hash=item4d2a0e3880

I have a couple of these, they aren't bad at all for the price. Free shipping, so you can take 4 dollars, and get yourself a simple binder. They work pretty well as in-betweens when you're getting your first underworks, or replacing it. They're also good for layering in case you need a little extra binding when you have a full binder, and mine is snug but not tight on me, so I opt for using that one INSTEAD of my tight binder when I'm sick and coughing (to avoid damage to my ribs) exercising, or sleeping with other people in the room. (Like at a convention hotel, or when visiting a friend.)

And to mention, I myself have a 38 DD chest, so I'm not exactly the most blessed in terms of easy binding.



And a huge portion of this forum lives in or has lived in small-medium towns, so don't worry about being misunderstood by all them fancy city folk. We get how it is. :)

First off, I understand your need to bind. I had the same need. But, please don't use materials like duct tape and ace bandages. They are incredibly damaging to your ribs and the adhesive from the tape can seriously harm your skin. I seriously recommend getting a binder or even spandex waist girdles are better than either of those two options. If you are going to anyway (I very, very strongly advise you not to from personal painful experience) please be very aware of any pain, discomfort or difficulty breathing. There are a lot of options for cheap binders and binder giveaways as others have pointed out. I know this will be a broken record but please do not use tape and ace bandages, and certainly do not for long term solutions.

As for small towns, I lived in a town in Alaska that was fairly small by everyone else's estimates (big by Alaskan standards) and the nearest actual city was 362 miles away.  I certainly know what small town life is like. My partner of 11 years is very well known back home, as am I. I totally get the small town issues.

(not allowed to sell binders, but i'm offering to give away)
i have one that's xl and another thats 2x and they dont fit. im around the same size chest as you, but you mentioned youre chubbier so it may work. let me know. :)

Quote from: palexander on February 14, 2015, 10:45:26 AM
(not allowed to sell binders, but i'm offering to give away)
i have one that's xl and another thats 2x and they dont fit. im around the same size chest as you, but you mentioned youre chubbier so it may work. let me know. :)

uhm im around a medium in mens shirts (with my boobs unbound obviously) and a 38 in pants
i think im chubby but ive been losing weight
i measured my ribs and around my nipples, and added the numbers, and divided by 2 (33+38=71 and 71/2=35.5)
so i think im a medium in binders, not sure
could you pm me? it seems i cant pm other people, im too new?

Quote from: Ayden on February 14, 2015, 04:24:44 AM

As for small towns, I lived in a town in Alaska that was fairly small by everyone else's estimates (big by Alaskan standards) and the nearest actual city was 362 miles away.  I certainly know what small town life is like. My partner of 11 years is very well known back home, as am I. I totally get the small town issues.

Holy moly!  I can't even imagine that.  What was the size of your town/population?  Sorry for being so dramatic, that 362 miles just really struck me!  Good to see you posting, by the way, Ayden!

When I moved and couldn't find my binder, I used a lower back support wrapped around my chest for short outings. It was totally obvious in what I was wearing at the time, but if you're laying it shouldn't stick out too much. Should be around $10 at a CVS/Walmart.

As others have said binding with things like tape, bandages, belts, etc is one of the absolute worst decisions you can make.  I know you've already done it for your date, but I hope you will not do it again.  It can seriously damage your body to the point that you might not be able to bind again and could hurt your top surgery results if you damage the breast tissue.

What you can do is go to Wal-Mart and get a neoprene waist trimmer (generally in the sporting goods area) for around 10 bucks.  If they don't have them at your particular store you can order online and get them shipped free to your store (just choose the site to store shipping option).

Once I bound with tape, but over a vest. It didn't lead to any problems, but while taking it off, I realized that I could have damaged the skin below, and some of it did. I would not recommend it but I can understand why it feels like a good option when there is no other alternative available.

I can't imagine binding with duct tape.... that's downright scary! If you have no other option WHATSOEVER (and there are options people have already listed) then at LEAST use a layer of medical grade tape over your skin so that you can get that sh*t off easily! Yeah, duct tape sticks better, but it'll rip your skin off! Medical grade tapes are designed to come off without tearing skin.