I think the best way to describe me is I'm a girl, have lady parts and am for the most part ok with that, but prefer others outwardly see me as a guy most of the time, so i dont know or really acre label wise, but for the most part I see myself as trans but not. Anywhoo, I want to get a binder, and i know underworks is a good place for that, but currently since before i spend that money i want to be sure its not "just a phase" so i tried the cheap approach going on amazon got a cheap one, needless to say its not stretchy at all and i know thats bad.. in fact after fighting to put it on once it made me wheeze, so I gave up on that. I've been using sports bras lately but seeing as I'm a D cup one doesnt do it. So I'm just curious how many people do this and how many you've used at most, and is it safe to wear around 3 at once? I mean i know layering binders isnt good but a few sports bras is still safe right? I'm a runner so i want to make sure my lungs stay safe... I'd only wear one good one while running though!
I think I'm transmasculine, but I'm kind of in the same boat. I don't know if it's just a phase or not. I ordered a GC2B binder which was pretty inexpensive ($35?). I've got quite a large chest too and it does the job well. I'm not sure how many sports bras would be safe. I know there's some guys that wear two sports bras. One on properly and another on overtop, backwards to give more compression. I think as long as you can breathe fine and it's not causing you any back pain, you can wear three.. But if it does start to give you pain, you should stop.
I've heard of people wearing up to 3 sports bras as a makeshift binder before. As Tohru-Chan said, it should be fine as long as its not interfering with your breathing or causing you any back/chest pain.
I usually wear one normal and two backwards.just experiment a bit and see what binds best.(i really recommend trying backwards though)
Even if it is "just a phase", I would invest in a binder. Underworks only runs for about $20, and if you end up not needing/wanting it, there are always trans guys or transmasculine people looking for someone who is selling them for cheap/giving them away. The thing about sports bras is they're meant for stability, not compression. I'm by no means a D, but no matter how many I wore or what size they were, there was still a noticeable curve. While they are way safer than ace bandages or tape, they're not reliable. In regards to you struggling to get into a binder, make sure you're not buying them too small. Binders are safe if you only wear them for 10-12 hours at most a day, don't sleep in it, and wear one that actually fits you. I've never been able to actually get them over my head, so I got in the habit of turning it inside out and upside down, stepping into it, and pulling it on over my hips my the shoulder straps. They will stretch out eventually, and you'll get used to the compression. Hope this helped, safe binding my friend!
Sports bras probably work, but I think an underworks binder would cost about as much as 3 quality sports bras together anyway. As long as you get the right size, a binder is probably more comfortable and better at flattening anyway.
