Susan's Place Transgender Resources

Hmm.. more insecurities from Damara.. So.. My chest is sort of barreled.. I think? It is "wide" when viewed in profile.  This is actually one of my biggest dysphoria triggers as it totally destroys a feminine look to my body, I have no bum, and look so top heavy.. I'm even worried that breasts may make me look worse! I see SO many cis women and men who have these lovely "flat" rib cages.. believe me I can study a rib cage like no other! ;) And it really bothers me that mine is so protruding.. I'm going to try corseting eventually to help a bit.. sorry, this isn't super uplifting, I'm just feeling down in the dumps about it.

Hugs to all! <3 With my huge rib cage crushing you! ;)

I hate to bring this up but corseting only really affects the bottom floating ribs and then only because they are not fused to the sternum. The right colors on a corset can give the illusion of a smaller rib cage but everything I have read says that you're unlikely to have any effect. You can get a better answer by pinging Lucy from Lucys Corsetry or the folks at Romantasy corsets are known for their work with transgender clients they may have some information but it's likely to all be anecdotal.

I am also barrel chested and my boobs are a bit wall-eyed. My best advice is to dress for your body shape. The barrel chest accentuates my high, now narrower waist. In the right skirt or dress they both accentuate my hips. With slacks or jeans same thing, accentuate the waist. Sometimes a belt helps

Damara, before starting to transition, I had the same concerns as you.  There is a belief out there that the size of rib cages is permanent and I was fearful I would be stuck with a large rib cage.  Then one day I had the unfortunate experience of having to look at a bunch of pictures of healthy people that had undergone forced starvation.  I noticed that none of them had large rib cages which suggested that rib cage sizes are not permanent but dependent upon the amount of fat and muscle in and around the chest cavity.  So I tried an experiment where I would try to lose as much fat and muscle in my upper body as I could, and wear a bra that is 1-2 sizes too small to force my ribs to regenerate in a smaller position.  The cells in your rib cage are constantly regenerating and the lower ribs can actually bend some.  It worked!  My rib cage is now very close to the size I want it to be.

Hey there,

Mi cis-GF has that reeeaaally wide chest going on, and I think she's damn sexy. She's so insecure about it, and I can spend any amount of time telling her how sexy and nice it is. Also, I used to have a very wide ribcage, like a wide male model, and now it's looking more along the lines of a sporty, strong girl. I've seen a lot of bigger girls (though am 5'9 and not so lean), and wider girls, specially in the sports world. I've also had positive attention in that regard from other people, male or female.

In short I think you'll look way better than you think.

Damara with a face like yours I would be surprised anyone would look elsewhere.  Of course I get it that we all see our imperfections magnified and I have a barrel chest and that top heavy thing too.  So does one of my sisters and we look a bit alike.  There are lots of style tips available but my BFF, that is trans and wears corsets, says it only helps the abdomen.  Thanks for that sweet crushing hug;-)