So first, I just wanna say I'm not a trans man. I'm female agender. I figured trans men would be the best people to ask about this, so that's why I'm posting here.
I wear mostly T-shirts (and big ones,) so I feel like I dress pretty gender neutrally. But I've always worn bras. More out of pressure and expectation than of my own volition... I recently broke two of my bras, so it's about time I bought some new ones. However, I've also gotten more fed up with them recently. I have some issues with bras that I think would probably be about the same even if I bound (the pain, the cost, etc.)
The thing that bothers me most, though, is that I have to deal with this thing that I don't even want to. Not just that, but it's sort of been causing me some emotional distress as well. I may not be trans, but I'm not cis, either. I've always felt embarrassed about my chest. Even as a young teen, I always bought baggier shirts to cover it up cuz I was so embarrassed by it. Now, though, it's even bigger, so bigger problem. I don't feel like I need to make myself look flat as a board or anything. But that they stick out so far and draw so much attention, despite the fact that I never even wear anything to draw attention to them in any way (other than bras,) its really distressing.
So, at this time when I need to get some new undergarments, I had the idea to try binding. However, I'm wondering about how good of an idea it is. Does it sound totally ridiculous to bind not being a trans guy? Moreover, is it a practical option? At the moment, binding sounds more emotionally comfortable, but I was wondering about physical comfort. For me, bras have always been very uncomfortable, physically speaking. The wire is so friggin uncomfortable. Worse, you get only so many washes before it starts to warp and become even more uncomfortable. But is binding any worse? Better? About the same? Like I said, I don't need to be super-flat, so I might not require as much compression as a trans guy. So that might be less uncomfortable. Also, bras don't tend to have a very long lifespan. How about binders?
The other thing I was kinda wondering about was nipples. This is actually one of the main reasons I even still wear bras. I feel like I'd be way more comfortable going braless if I didn't have to worry about that. Which is what brought me to the idea of binding in the first place. Does binding reduce or eliminate that problem? Or is it still an issue? If so, how is it resolved?
I was specifically looking at this website: http://www.underworks.com/. Has anyone ever ordered from them? How are their products? I was thinking about getting a tank, but I was wondering about my stomach. I'm a bit overweight, and I don't know how a tank like that would work with a larger stomach. Does it also compress the stomach? If so, is it uncomfortable? I was also considering the "binding bra" available on this site. I know it might not be likely, but has anyone tried that one? How does it compare to a men's tank if you've tried both?
The other part is that these products are all in the $30 range. This is part of why I'm asking. I don't wanna get something only to find out that there's a problem that I didn't foresee but someone else could easily have told me. Anyway, with the issue of price, whether I go back to the bras that I was buying or get binders, I can only really justify purchasing two items at this point in time. The bras I was getting were also around $30, as are the specific products I'm considering, so I'm looking to spend around $60, but not a whole lot more. The options I'm contemplating:
-Just stick with what I know, get two of my old bras
-Buy one of my old bras and a binder tank
-Buy both a binder tank and the binding bra from the above website.
I know I'm probably asking a lot of noobish questions, and I apologize. This is just something I'd never really gotten into before, so I just don't know. And, again, don't wanna spend a ton of money on something I'm gonna hate. Also, I do realize that there are websites out there that explain binding. However, comparing to wearing a bra, not so much. That's why I'm asking. What are your opinions on this? Any opinions or advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks!
