Breast binding

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Binders on display at a Science History Institute exhibit dedicated to stretch garments. Chest binders in various skin tones DSCF2250.jpg
Binders on display at a Science History Institute exhibit dedicated to stretch garments.

Breast binding, also known as chest binding, is the flattening and hiding of breasts with constrictive materials such as cloth strips or purpose-built undergarments. Binders may also be used as alternatives to bras or for reasons of propriety.

Contents

People who bind include women, trans men, non-binary persons, and cisgender men with gynecomastia.

History

Breast binding has been used in many historical contexts. Different time periods of history have had differing viewpoints on the female form, including the widespread use of corsets throughout western European history up to the Victorian era. [1]

A group of women in Chinese traditional dress (2021). The three women at the bottom center are wearing a moxiong. Qu Fu Shi Fan Da Xue noZhu Si Bu noXie Zhen .jpg
A group of women in Chinese traditional dress (2021). The three women at the bottom center are wearing a moxiong.

During the era of China's imperial dynasties, revealing the curves of a woman's breast was considered lewd and breasts were often bound with a moxiong or a dudou. The use of the garment was particularly popular during the Tang and Song dynasties. [2] [3] Breast binding became an exclusive aesthetic practice for women continuing until the 1930s, with more prevalence among upper-class women. [4]

A woman and a man wearing a traditional hanbok. Hanbok (female and male).jpg
A woman and a man wearing a traditional hanbok.

Korean women wearing the traditional hanbok concealed the female body by binding their breasts tightly with a cloth band. [5] [6]

In Japan, the traditional kimono flattens the appearance of the breasts, with breasts bound and flattened with an obi, [7] and a datemaki belt wrapped around the torso from the chest to the waist. [8] A sarashi is used by Japanese women to flatten their breasts.[ citation needed ]

In Africa, adolescent Wodaabe girls had their breasts tightly bound to induce sagging, minimize sexual desirability, and improve their ability to breastfeed. [8] In cultures where the breasts of pubescent girls are ironed to suppress their development, wealthier classes often choose to use an elastic belt to compress and flatten the breasts. [9]

Until the early 20th century, many Catholic nuns bound their breasts under their habit to deflect the attention of male clergy and diminish sexual desire in men. [1] [8]

Breast binding was one of the punishments inflicted upon the women inmates confined in Ireland's Magdalene asylums. [10]

Post-WWI women office workers modified their physique with bound breasts to reduce and conceal the female form, thereby minimizing sexual curiosity from males. [11]

In the 1920s, a flat-chested silhouette became the ideal look among women, with breasts bound against the chest wall with binders. [12] To present a boyish form, flappers bound their breasts. [12]

Wearing a corset was one way that the size of breasts could be reduced. [1]

Motivation

Male impersonator Ella Wesner. Impersonators and drag kings may bind their breasts as a characteristic of their costume. Ella Wesner, Gilded Age male impersonator, photographed by Sarony.jpg
Male impersonator Ella Wesner. Impersonators and drag kings may bind their breasts as a characteristic of their costume.

There are many reasons for binding breasts: [13]

Women who have developed larger breasts from hormone replacement therapy or breast augmentation surgery may choose to bind.

Some adolescents begin to bind their breasts as they enter puberty. One case study has described an adolescent girl binding as a symptom of her body dysmorphic disorder, [16] but this is not the most common reason that individuals bind their breasts.

Transgender and non-binary people

Drawing of a Filipino transmasculine person wearing a binder and dressing in front of the mirror. Getting ready in mirror - Campbell Royales for Disabled And Here.jpg
Drawing of a Filipino transmasculine person wearing a binder and dressing in front of the mirror.

Transgender men and non-binary people may bind their breasts as an alternative to or while waiting for top surgery. [17] The appearance of a flat chest may minimize gender dysphoria [18] and cause gender euphoria. [19]

Many people who bind for gender-affirming purposes are unwilling to seek medical attention due to a perceived lack of knowledge from healthcare professionals and continue binding since they believe the benefits outweigh the risks. [20] In case of health concerns, they tend to seek help from healthcare professionals they perceive as trans-friendly and who will not stigmatize their binding practice. [21]

Gynecomastia

Cisgender men afflicted with gynecomastia may find cause to bind as a means to control the appearance of breasts, during the wait before surgery or as an alternative to surgery. [13] Some apparel companies (such as Underworks) make compression shirts for cisgender men that provide the same result as a breast binder. [22]

Methods

Modern binders or binding bras are purpose-built undergarments often made of spandex or other synthetic fibre. These can be more expensive than other breast-binding options and are not widely stocked, but they are generally considered less dangerous than alternatives.[ citation needed ] Other common binding materials include cloth strips or non-elastic bandages.

Elastic bandages (such as "Ace" brand bandages) are considered unsafe to use. Duct tape has also been used to bind breasts, but it is dangerous and should be avoided. It is safer to use a binder from a reputable company or a high impact sports bra. [23]

Tops layered from tight-fitting to loose can also be used to hide breasts.

Complications

Breast binding is known to create a number of health risks, including difficulty breathing, backache, skin rashes, and deformity of the ribs. [1]

To minimise complications, some limit their binding use for no longer than eight hours. [20] Binding for extended periods of time can lead to rashes or yeast infections under the breasts, [24] [25] back or chest pain, shortness of breath, overheating, or, rarely, fractured ribs. [20] Additionally, some unconventional binding materials, such as duct tape or athletic bandages, are known to increase an individual's risk for negative health outcomes such as shortness of breath, musculoskeletal damage, and skin damage. [26] Unsafe binding may lead to permanent deformation of the breasts, [27] scarring, and lung constriction, [28] and long-term binding may adversely affect the outcome of a future mastectomy. [29]

See also

Related Research Articles

Gender dysphoria (GD) is the distress a person experiences due to a mismatch between their gender identity—their personal sense of their own gender—and their sex assigned at birth. The term replaced the previous diagnostic label of gender identity disorder (GID) in 2013 with the release of the diagnostic manual DSM-5. The condition was renamed to remove the stigma associated with the term disorder.

A cisgender person is someone whose gender identity corresponds to their sex assigned at birth, i.e., someone who is not transgender. The prefix cis- is Latin and means on this side of. The term cisgender was coined in 1994 as an antonym to transgender, and entered into dictionaries starting in 2015 as a result of changes in social discourse about gender. The term has been and continues to be controversial and subject to critique.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transphobia</span> Anti-transgender prejudice

Transphobia consists of negative attitudes, feelings, or actions towards transgender people or transness in general. Transphobia can include fear, aversion, hatred, violence or anger towards people who do not conform to social gender roles. Transphobia is a type of prejudice and discrimination, similar to racism, sexism, or ableism, and it is closely associated with homophobia. Transgender people of color can experience many different forms of discrimination simultaneously.

Gender-affirming surgery is a surgical procedure, or series of procedures, that alters a person's physical appearance and sexual characteristics to resemble those associated with their identified gender. The phrase is most often associated with transgender health care and intersex medical interventions, although many such treatments are also pursued by cisgender and non-intersex individuals. It is also known as sex reassignment surgery, gender confirmation surgery, and several other names.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trans man</span> Man assigned female at birth

A trans man is a man who was assigned female at birth. Trans men have a male gender identity, and many trans men choose to undergo surgical or hormonal transition, or both, to alter their appearance in a way that aligns with their gender identity or alleviates gender dysphoria.

Gender-affirming surgery for female-to-male transgender people includes a variety of surgical procedures that alter anatomical traits to provide physical traits more comfortable to the trans man's male identity and functioning.

Gender-affirming surgery for male-to-female transgender women or transfeminine non-binary people describes a variety of surgical procedures that alter the body to provide physical traits more comfortable and affirming to an individual's gender identity and overall functioning.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Attraction to transgender people</span> Romantic or sexual attraction to transgender people

Sexual attraction to transgender people has been the subject of scientific study and social commentary. Psychologists have researched sexual attraction toward trans women, trans men, cross dressers, non-binary people, and a combination of these. Publications in the field of transgender studies have investigated the attraction transgender individuals can feel for each other. The people who feel this attraction to transgender people name their attraction in different ways.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Male chest reconstruction</span> Surgical procedure

Male chest reconstruction refers to any of various surgical procedures to masculinise the chest by removing breast tissue or altering the nipples and areolae. Male chest reconstruction may be performed in cases of gynecomastia and gender dysphoria. Transmasculine people may pursue chest reconstruction, also known as top surgery, as part of transitioning.

Gender incongruence is the state of having a gender identity that does not correspond to one's sex assigned at birth. This is experienced by people who identify as transgender or transsexual, and often results in gender dysphoria. The causes of gender incongruence have been studied for decades.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transgender sexuality</span> Sexuality of transgender people

Sexuality in transgender individuals encompasses all the issues of sexuality of other groups, including establishing a sexual identity, learning to deal with one's sexual needs, and finding a partner, but may be complicated by issues of gender dysphoria, side effects of surgery, physiological and emotional effects of hormone replacement therapy, psychological aspects of expressing sexuality after medical transition, or social aspects of expressing their gender.

In the context of gender, passing is when someone is perceived as a gender they identify as or are attempting to be seen as, rather than their biological sex. Historically, this was common among women who served in occupations where women were prohibited, such as in combat roles in the military. For transgender people, it is when the person is perceived as cisgender instead of the sex they were assigned at birth. The person may, for example, be a transgender man who is perceived as a cisgender man.

Feminizing hormone therapy, also known as transfeminine hormone therapy, is hormone therapy and sex reassignment therapy to change the secondary sex characteristics of transgender people from masculine or androgynous to feminine. It is a common type of transgender hormone therapy and is used to treat transgender women and non-binary transfeminine individuals. Some, in particular intersex people but also some non-transgender people, take this form of therapy according to their personal needs and preferences.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transsexual</span> People experiencing a gender identity inconsistent with their assigned sex

Transsexual people experience a gender identity that is inconsistent with their assigned sex, and desire to permanently transition to the sex or gender with which they identify, usually seeking medical assistance to help them align their body with their identified sex or gender.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transgender youth</span> Children and adolescents who are transgender

Transgender youth are children or adolescents who do not identify with the sex they were assigned at birth. Because transgender youth are usually dependent on their parents for care, shelter, financial support, and other needs, they differ in challenges compared to adults. According to the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, the American Psychological Association, and the American Academy of Pediatrics, appropriate care for transgender youth may include supportive mental health care, social transition, and/or puberty blockers, which delay puberty and the development of secondary sex characteristics to allow children more time to explore their gender identity.

Transgender health care includes the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of physical and mental health conditions, as well as sex reassignment therapies, for transgender individuals. A major component of transgender health care is gender-affirming care, the medical aspect of gender transition. Questions implicated in transgender health care include gender variance, sex reassignment therapy, health risks, and access to healthcare for trans people in different countries around the world.

Facial masculinization surgery (FMS) is a set of plastic surgery procedures that can transform the patient's face to exhibit typical masculine morphology. Cisgender men may elect to undergo these procedures, and in the context of transgender people, FMS is a type of facial gender confirmation surgery (FGCS), which also includes facial feminization surgery (FFS) for transgender women.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Violence against transgender people in the United States</span> Social and political issue in the U.S.

Violence against transgender people in the United States includes sexual, physical, and emotional violence. These acts of gender-based violence may result in the death of a transgender person. Transgender people are more likely to be violently attacked than cisgender ones. The murder rate for transgender individuals is estimated to be lower than that of cisgender people, though the trend is reversed for young black or Latina transgender women. Between 2008 and 2020, 271 murders on trans people were reported in USA, giving c. 0.83 murders per 1,000,000 inhabitants and placing USA somewhere in the middle between "safe" and "unsafe" states, with reservation for inaccuracies and possible underreporting from some locations.

Discrimination against transgender men and transmasculine individuals, sometimes referred to as transandrophobia, anti-transmasculinity, or transmisandry, is a similar concept to transmisogyny and discrimination against non-binary people. Transmisogyny, discrimination against transgender men and discrimination against nonbinary people are types of transphobia which affect trans women, trans men and nonbinary people respectively.

Breast measurement involves the measurement of the breasts for quantifying physical characteristics such as size, shape, and developmental state. A variety of different approaches have been employed for measuring the breasts.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Smith, Merril D., ed. (2014). Cultural Encyclopedia of the Breast. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 45–46. ISBN   978-0759123311.
  2. ↑ "The ancient art of women's underwear". China Daily . March 4, 2011. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
  3. ↑ "The little red look". The Economist . April 16, 2016. Archived from the original on 5 November 2022. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
  4. ↑ Lei, Jun (Spring 2015). ""Natural" Curves: Breast-Binding and Changing Aesthetics of the Female Body in China of the Early Twentieth Century". Modern Chinese Literature and Culture . 27 (1): 163–223. ISSN   1520-9857.
  5. ↑ Shin, Gi-Wook; Robinson, Michael, eds. (1999). Colonial Modernity in Korea. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Asia Center. p.  421. ISBN   978-0674005945.
  6. ↑ Kim, Julie Ju-Youn (2014). "Rendering the Body Present: Unwrapping the Hanbok and Villa of Veils". Academia.edu . p. 13.
  7. ↑ Tewari, Nita; Alvarez, Alvin, eds. (2009). Asian American Psychology: Current Perspectives. New York: Psychology Press. p.  197. ISBN   978-1841697697.
  8. 1 2 3 Kenny, Erin; Nichols, Elizabeth Gackstetter (2017). Beauty around the World: A Cultural Encyclopedia. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO. pp. 46–48. ISBN   978-1610699440.
  9. ↑ "Breast Ironing Fact Sheet". Africa Health Organisation. March 22, 2019. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
  10. ↑ Gibbons, Fiachra (6 February 2003). "In God's Name". The Guardian . Retrieved 4 November 2022.
  11. ↑ Yellis, Kenneth A. (Spring 1969). "Prosperity's Child: Some Thoughts on the Flapper". American Quarterly . 21 (1): 54. doi:10.2307/2710772. ISSN   0003-0678. JSTOR   2710772.
  12. 1 2 Farrell-Beck, Jane; Gau, Colleen (2002). Uplift: The Bra in America. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: University of Pennsylvania Press. pp. 41, 49. ISBN   0812236432.
  13. 1 2 Haghighi, Anna Smith (June 29, 2022). "What is binding, and how can I do it safely?". Medical News Today . Retrieved April 16, 2023.
  14. ↑ Swift, Kathy; Janke, Jill (May–June 2003). "Breast Binding . . . Is It All That It's Wrapped Up To Be?". Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, & Neonatal Nursing . 32 (3): 332–339. doi:10.1177/0884217503253531. ISSN   0884-2175. PMID   12774875.
  15. ↑ Countryman, Betty Ann. "Breast care in the early puerperium." Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, & Neonatal Nursing 2.5 (1973): 36–40
  16. ↑ Horowitz K, Gorfinkle K, Lewis O, Phillips KA (December 2002). "Body dysmorphic disorder in an adolescent girl". J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry . 41 (12): 1503–9. doi:10.1097/00004583-200212000-00023. PMC   1613829 . PMID   12447038.
  17. ↑ Bashforth, Emily (December 30, 2022). "How to bind your chest safely". LGBTQ Nation . Retrieved April 16, 2023.
  18. ↑ Julian, Jamie M.; Salvetti, Bianca; Held, Jordan I.; Murray, Paula M.; Lara-Rojas, Lucas; Olson-Kennedy, Johanna (2021). "The Impact of Chest Binding in Transgender and Gender Diverse Youth and Young Adults". The Journal of Adolescent Health. 68 (6): 1129–1134. doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2020.09.029. ISSN   1879-1972. PMID   33121901. S2CID   226205016.
  19. ↑ Beischel, Will J.; Gauvin, Stéphanie E. M.; van Anders, Sari M. (2022). ""A little shiny gender breakthrough": Community understandings of gender euphoria". International Journal of Transgender Health. 23 (3): 274–294. doi:10.1080/26895269.2021.1915223. ISSN   2689-5269. PMC   9255216 . PMID   35799953.
  20. 1 2 3 Tsjeng, Zing (September 28, 2016). "Inside the Landmark, Long Overdue Study on Chest Binding". Vice News . Retrieved 20 March 2023.
  21. ↑ Jarrett, Brooke A.; Corbet, Alexandra L.; Gardner, Ivy H.; Peitzmeier, Sarah M. (14 Dec 2018). "Chest Binding and Care Seeking Among Transmasculine Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study". Transgender Health. Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. 3 (1): 170–178. doi:10.1089/trgh.2018.0017. PMC   6298447 . PMID   30564633.
  22. ↑ Jones, Eve (June 4, 2022). "Best chest binder". Fox31 Denver . Retrieved April 16, 2023.
  23. ↑ "Trans Tape for Chest Binding: Insights on How To Use Tape". GenderGP. June 22, 2020.
  24. ↑ Feldman, JL; Goldberg, J (2006). "Transgender primary medical care: Suggested guidelines for clinicians in British Columbia". Vancouver Coastal Health. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
  25. ↑ Erickson-Schroth, Laura (2014). Trans Bodies, Trans Selves: A Resource for the Transgender Community. Oxford University Press. p. 134. ISBN   9780199325351.
  26. ↑ "Chest Binding: A Physician's Guide". PRIDEinPractice. 6 April 2019. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
  27. ↑ "Binding FAQ" (PDF). University of Michigan Health System. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 September 2012.
  28. ↑ Dutton, Lauren; Koenig, Karel; Fennie, Kristopher (2008-08-01). "Gynecologic care of the female-to-male transgender man". Journal of Midwifery & Women's Health. 53 (4): 331–337. doi:10.1016/j.jmwh.2008.02.003. ISSN   1542-2011. PMC   4902153 . PMID   18586186.
  29. ↑ Makadon, Harvey J.; Mayer, Kenneth H.; Potter, Jennifer; Goldhammer, Hilary (2015). The Fenway Guide to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Health. ACP Press. p. 409. ISBN   9781934465783.

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