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.
People who bind include women, trans men, non-binary people, and cisgender men with gynecomastia.
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]
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] The long-standing custom resulted from a culture that "believed large breasts were symbols of lasciviousness." [5]
Korean women wearing the traditional hanbok concealed the female body by binding their breasts tightly with a cloth band. [6] [7]
In Japan, the traditional kimono flattens the appearance of the breasts, with breasts bound and flattened with an obi, [8] and a datemaki belt wrapped around the torso from the chest to the waist. [9] 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. [9] 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. [10]
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] [9]
Breast binding was one of the punishments inflicted upon the women inmates confined in Ireland's Magdalene asylums. [11]
Post-WWI women office workers modified their physique with bound breasts to reduce and conceal the female form, thereby minimizing sexual curiosity from males. [12]
In the 1920s, a flat-chested silhouette became the ideal look among women, with breasts bound against the chest wall with binders. [13] To present a boyish form, flappers bound their breasts. [13]
Wearing a corset was one way that the size of breasts could be reduced. [1]
 | This section needs additional citations for verification .(November 2022) |
There are many reasons for binding breasts: [14]
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, [17] but this is not the most common reason that individuals bind their breasts.
Transgender men and non-binary people may bind their breasts as an alternative to or while waiting for top surgery. [18] The appearance of a flat chest may minimize gender dysphoria [19] and cause gender euphoria. [20]
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. [21] 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. [22]
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. [14] Some apparel companies (such as Underworks) make compression shirts for cisgender men that provide the same result as a breast binder. [23]
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. [24]
Tops layered from tight-fitting to loose can also be used to hide breasts.
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. [21] Binding for extended periods of time can lead to rashes or yeast infections under the breasts, [25] [26] back or chest pain, shortness of breath, overheating, or, rarely, fractured ribs. [21] Additionally, some unconventional binding materials, such as duct tape, body tape, binding 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. [27] Unsafe binding may lead to permanent deformation of the breasts, [28] scarring, and lung constriction, [29] and long-term binding may adversely affect the outcome of a future mastectomy. [30]
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.
The word cisgender describes a person 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.
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. People of color who are transgender experience discrimination above and beyond that which can be explained as a simple combination of transphobia and racism.
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.
A trans man is a man who was assigned female at birth. Trans men have a male gender identity, and many trans men undergo medical and social transition 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.
Gender transition is the process of affirming and expressing one's internal sense of gender, rather than the gender assigned to them at birth. It is the recommended course of treatment for individuals struggling with gender dysphoria, providing improved mental health outcomes in the majority of people.
Chest reconstruction refers to any of various surgical procedures to reconstruct the chest by removing breast tissue or altering the nipples and areolae in order to mitigate gender dysphoria. Chest reconstruction may be performed in cases of gynecomastia and gender dysphoria. 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.
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 sex assigned at birth. 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. For example, someone who is a transgender man is passing if he 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.
Transgender women are women who were assigned male at birth. Trans women have a female gender identity and may experience gender dysphoria. Gender dysphoria may be treated with gender-affirming care.
Transgender pregnancy is the gestation of one or more embryos or fetuses by transgender people. As of 2024, the possibility is restricted to those born with female reproductive systems. However, transition-related treatments may impact fertility. Transgender men and nonbinary people who are or wish to become pregnant face social, medical, legal, and psychological concerns. As uterus transplantations are currently experimental, and none have successfully been performed on trans women, they cannot become pregnant.
Transgender health care includes the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of physical and mental health conditions 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. Gender affirming health care can include psychological, medical, physical, and social behavioral care. The purpose of gender affirming care is to help a transgender individual conform to their desired gender identity.
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.
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 is sometimes referred to as transandrophobia, anti-transmasculinity, or transmisandry.
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.
Media related to Binders (clothing) at Wikimedia Commons
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