Question: First time buying a binder
Joa asks…
I’m looking to buy my first binder and am wondering what tips you beautiful humans have for me. What are the pros and cons of zippers vs. velcro vs. pullovers? How about long like a tank top vs. short like a sports bra? Is there anything else I should know?
(Just in case it matters, I’m quite small breasted, enough that with a few layers they all but vanish. But I’m looking for a binder so that all those layers aren’t so necessary.)
Please post your response in the comments below.
» Ask Genderfork «
Posted by Freiya on August 1st, 2013 at 09:20 pm
Category: questions 9 comments »
August 1st, 2013 at 11:14 pm |
i’ve never had a zipper binder before. as for velcro vs. pullover: velcro is easier to put on and has a more customizable fit but is more obtrusive (will sometimes show under clothes or crinkle when you move). pullovers can be terrible to get on & off, especially if they’re wet, depending on your size and body shape, but don’t show nearly as easily under clothes. pullovers also sometimes bind more symmetrically and/or effectively, in my experience.
the main thing with length is comfort. tank top-style binders are hotter, in terms of temperature. short binders often roll up. (long binders usually don’t roll up because you can tuck them into your pants.) bear in mind, though, that some long binders have compression all the way down, which mean they squeeze your stomach and back in addition to your chest.
that said, most aspects of binding are dependent on body size & shape, climate, binder model, etc. i’d love to hear some other folks’ experiences.
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August 2nd, 2013 at 12:38 pm |
I’ve only used pull-overs, but I’ve used both short and full-length ones. They are tricky to get on in the beginning, but it gets easier. Since it sounds like you don’t have much to bind, I’d get a half length binder.
It also depends on what kind of pants you like, tight or loose. Full-length ones tend to ride up your hips if the pants aren’t tight enough/ you don’t have a belt.
Just a tip, never cut a binder in half to make it half length. It just doesn’t work.
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August 3rd, 2013 at 3:32 am |
I used Underworks for over a year. They’re cheap but they made it hard for me to breathe and gave me muscle spasms. I found Les Love Boat this spring and love their Sports Pullover. It doesn’t constrict your chest but shapes better than Underworks, no Velcro involved. I’ve run 7 miles in it with no problem.
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Anonymous replied:
August 24th, 2017 at 6:10 am
les love boat are pretty unsafe, I heard
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August 4th, 2013 at 7:48 am |
I have 7 binders from Underworks and one strapless one called only ‘male chest binder’ that I ordered from Amazon. The strapless binder actually works fairly well, is wide, kind of a striped material and has a wide velcro.
Regarding how the Underworks binders perform, I will say I am pretty small chested and thin/athletic bodied. Of the 7 binders, I have two models: 4 are the Ultimate Chest Binder full length tank with chest only compression and the other 3 are the short Tri Tops. All of these are pullovers with no velcro and are best gotten into and out of with a technique of folding the compression layer up to the arm pit level, put both arms and your head in pull it over your head and then reach up behind the back to pull it the rest of the way down.
I prefer the flattening of the Tri Tops BUT the neck opening is higher and tends to show unless my shirt is buttoned up pretty far; the Ultimate Chest Binder tanks have lower necklines, which is great but I have found that the spandex tank itself has changed in quality and design, as one of my binders is a few years old and the tank is straight-cut all the way down, which fit me very well. The three newest tanks have a weird, very curvy, pre-determined ‘waist’ shape- like a bell- that is especially obvious when laid flat; the bell shape is cut and sewn into the shirt, so the binder shirt hem billows out under any clothing I put over it and is too loose to even tuck in- it literally looked like a dress and a guy friend said “maternity’. Since binders are male clothing item, I was especially incensed to receive what looked like a women’s cami.
After taking comparison photos, I wrote to Underworks and showed them pics of the design change, er PROBLEM, and they replaced the tanks with others they said were the ‘old cut’, as in, not maternity…well, they were still thinner material and fit a little less tightly than my old one, and the cut was better but still billowed out, which as a thin guy, is unacceptable to me, so I cut the ‘skirts’ off just under the compression layers and now have three more short tops.
I also lace yarn up both sides of my binders to corset-tighten the sides against my body- I am thin enough that even the short tops stick out at the sides of my ribcage so this lacing givers me a smoother look
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August 5th, 2013 at 12:15 am |
I would definitely recommend the Underworks cotton V-Necks, T-Shirts, and tank tops. I’ve tried all of these. Their shaping is good, you can wash them normally without them losing too much elasticity, and while I still have to layer up, since I’m a C-cup, they’ll work great as an undershirt for flatter chests. You might even feel confident enough to wear them by themselves, since they’re designed to look and feel like normal shirts.
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August 5th, 2013 at 4:00 pm |
I am also small chested and athletic. I have found a half length pullover to work quite well for me. If you wear a sports bra under it, even if it isn’t very tight, it helps with comfort and blocks sweat from getting to the binder so you don’t have to wash the binder as often. Also, after you put the binder on, you can make yourself even more flat chested if you reach inside the binder and pull your chest to the sides – they may stick out the side of the binder a little, but when I put a shirt on, you don’t see it and my chest is very convincingly flat.
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Inku replied:
April 3rd, 2019 at 5:41 pm
Please, please, PLEASE, do not pull your chest out sideways. I know it’s hard not having a full flat chest but it’s supposed to be evenly distributed. Doing what your doing can cause damage, and put future surgery at risk of not being possible.
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August 7th, 2013 at 8:58 am |
I am pretty scrawny and barely an A cup, so I prefer the shorter, velcro or pullover style, since I have so little to bind I can go for max comfort. My buddy is a little “bigger”, and he prefers the longer length both for more support… and for the added benefit of hiding a little belly.
Hope that helps
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