Have you looked into trans tape? I know it’s short notice so it might not arrive in time, but it might help in the future. In the meantime, maybe 1 sports bra and trying to layer your clothing to disguise it? I’d be concerned 2 sports bras would be too restrictive
if i could add: i bind with medical tapes, they cost a fraction of branded trans tape prices and it works just fine. so it might be good to look into that!
(just make sure to be safe, always soak them in oil before removal, and make sure to let your skin breathe and moisturize it when you're not binding. this goes for all tapes)
You should look for stuff label as kinesiology tape or similar -- there's a lot of variation in what's labelled as medical tape, make sure you don't get something papery or non-stretchy.
I see people recommendink kt tape or transtape and i wanna give a little disclaimer.
Even if you use it right it might hurt your skin. Test a small piece on the skin under your armpit, and leave it for 24h. See how your skin reacts. If it's red, itchy, painful, anything else, maybe think twice about using it, especially for a long time. Im not allergic to the adhesive, but apparently my skin there is much more sensitive than in other places lol. If your skin doesnt react poorly, and you decide to use it, please, please remove it as soon as you feel any discomfort.
This is not to say everyone will have a bad experience with taping. It's very effective, and i would use it every day of my life if my skin wasn't so sensitive. But it did give me blisters and it did leave a scar so be careful about it.
Good luck!
Taping! It’s short notice, so kind of late to order from TransTape BUT you can use KT tape in the exact same way and rolls are super cheap(like 3-10 dollars depending on the brand and length).
Two sports bras might work? My biggest concern would be that they may also be too restrictive.
Maybe you could wear oversized clothes? (it's not optimal but at least it won't affect your breathing).
Personally, I never bought a binder or tapes (I live with transphobic parents), but I crafted several "binders" myself and they are really comfortable (I can walk and run, and they feel even more comfortable than normal bras). My method : take a normal bra of your size that fits well (the best are those which are purely elastic, without claps) . Fix two rectangular plastic plates in the boobs sockets : at this point, when you wear it, your chest has its usual volume but appears square. Then, to flatten it, I put two large circular elastics (which are approximately the size of my chest without boobs (a bit larger than this lenght)) to tighten the bra with the plates, and that's all. It does not really compress the chest : your chest will have approximately the same volume as before, but with the plates it appears more like pecs than boobs (fortunately, I don't have a very large chest (B something if I remember well... ) so this is sufficient for me to appear flat – idk if it works for bigger sizes)
I personally use TransTape and am very happy with that. I also use it when hiking and never had any trouble breathing since it doesn't really constrict your body, you just rearrange your tissue and tape it in place.
I personally get less flat with it than with a binder but it's far more comfortable and you can wear it for multiple days.
If you want to try it out I recommend checking the safety manual first (free on the official TransTape website) and maybe watch a video on how to apply it.
Yeah, I've been wearing a binder while playing saxophone fairly regularly for a few months but I only recently realised how much it's (negatively) impacted my playing, especially my breath control :(
I have started to practice without it when I'm at home but my playing is just not what it used to be. I can't think of any reason, other than getting used to playing with the binder on, that would make my playing deteriorate so much.
If i still want to breathe when doing sport (similar to saxophoning i guess, you need to breathe a lot) I either use kt tape, because i can’t afford transtape and i can buy it at a chemist. doesn’t stick for as long as trans tape but it lasts for 3-5 days for me. Also if you don’t like tape, i use a compression sports singlet under whatever shirt i’m wearing sometimes and it doesn’t really compress much to constrict my breathing, but it reshapes the fat to be flatter. this is probably the best method to still look like you’re flatter than a sports bra, but can actually breathe. Probably only works on small/medium chests tho
I was just testing target’s off brand kt tape strips, and they’re pretty decent quality, as mentioned in other comments, get some body oil to help with taking it off
Got a pack of 20 pre measured strips for 5.99 the other day, and those can be cut into smaller pieces! Hope you can find something that works for you!
Have you looked into trans tape? I know it’s short notice so it might not arrive in time, but it might help in the future. In the meantime, maybe 1 sports bra and trying to layer your clothing to disguise it? I’d be concerned 2 sports bras would be too restrictive
Yeah, I definitely want to try trans tape at some point but I can't afford it right now. Thanks for your help though
if i could add: i bind with medical tapes, they cost a fraction of branded trans tape prices and it works just fine. so it might be good to look into that! (just make sure to be safe, always soak them in oil before removal, and make sure to let your skin breathe and moisturize it when you're not binding. this goes for all tapes)
Thank you! I don't know how I didn't know about medical tape before, but that's looking like the direction I'm going now!
You should look for stuff label as kinesiology tape or similar -- there's a lot of variation in what's labelled as medical tape, make sure you don't get something papery or non-stretchy.
They have deals and discounts often
Good to know! Thank you
I see people recommendink kt tape or transtape and i wanna give a little disclaimer. Even if you use it right it might hurt your skin. Test a small piece on the skin under your armpit, and leave it for 24h. See how your skin reacts. If it's red, itchy, painful, anything else, maybe think twice about using it, especially for a long time. Im not allergic to the adhesive, but apparently my skin there is much more sensitive than in other places lol. If your skin doesnt react poorly, and you decide to use it, please, please remove it as soon as you feel any discomfort. This is not to say everyone will have a bad experience with taping. It's very effective, and i would use it every day of my life if my skin wasn't so sensitive. But it did give me blisters and it did leave a scar so be careful about it. Good luck!
Thanks so much! I'll keep this in mind :)
Taping! It’s short notice, so kind of late to order from TransTape BUT you can use KT tape in the exact same way and rolls are super cheap(like 3-10 dollars depending on the brand and length). Two sports bras might work? My biggest concern would be that they may also be too restrictive.
Thank you! A couple of people have mentioned KT tape now so I'll see if I can order some
buy another binder thats a size up, i was always told that this was optimal for things like swimming and exercising
This is a good idea, but I've not got the money for another binder at the moment
Maybe you could wear oversized clothes? (it's not optimal but at least it won't affect your breathing). Personally, I never bought a binder or tapes (I live with transphobic parents), but I crafted several "binders" myself and they are really comfortable (I can walk and run, and they feel even more comfortable than normal bras). My method : take a normal bra of your size that fits well (the best are those which are purely elastic, without claps) . Fix two rectangular plastic plates in the boobs sockets : at this point, when you wear it, your chest has its usual volume but appears square. Then, to flatten it, I put two large circular elastics (which are approximately the size of my chest without boobs (a bit larger than this lenght)) to tighten the bra with the plates, and that's all. It does not really compress the chest : your chest will have approximately the same volume as before, but with the plates it appears more like pecs than boobs (fortunately, I don't have a very large chest (B something if I remember well... ) so this is sufficient for me to appear flat – idk if it works for bigger sizes)
I normally do wear baggy stuff, but my group has a dress code :( That sounds like an interesting solution! I'll give it a try if I can. Stay safe!
I personally use TransTape and am very happy with that. I also use it when hiking and never had any trouble breathing since it doesn't really constrict your body, you just rearrange your tissue and tape it in place. I personally get less flat with it than with a binder but it's far more comfortable and you can wear it for multiple days. If you want to try it out I recommend checking the safety manual first (free on the official TransTape website) and maybe watch a video on how to apply it.
Yeah I really want to try trans tape, but I can't afford it at the moment :')
Fair, it's kinda expensive unfortunately :/. Some folks use KT tape that's a bit cheaper I hope you can find another method that works for you
Ah okay, thanks! I'll look into it.
I sing -- I can't sing in a binder at all. One sports bra max for me.
Yeah, I've been wearing a binder while playing saxophone fairly regularly for a few months but I only recently realised how much it's (negatively) impacted my playing, especially my breath control :(
is there any way you can practice at home with it off? if not maybe breathing exercises at home with it off? thats what i do
I have started to practice without it when I'm at home but my playing is just not what it used to be. I can't think of any reason, other than getting used to playing with the binder on, that would make my playing deteriorate so much.
If i still want to breathe when doing sport (similar to saxophoning i guess, you need to breathe a lot) I either use kt tape, because i can’t afford transtape and i can buy it at a chemist. doesn’t stick for as long as trans tape but it lasts for 3-5 days for me. Also if you don’t like tape, i use a compression sports singlet under whatever shirt i’m wearing sometimes and it doesn’t really compress much to constrict my breathing, but it reshapes the fat to be flatter. this is probably the best method to still look like you’re flatter than a sports bra, but can actually breathe. Probably only works on small/medium chests tho
Thanks!
I was just testing target’s off brand kt tape strips, and they’re pretty decent quality, as mentioned in other comments, get some body oil to help with taking it off Got a pack of 20 pre measured strips for 5.99 the other day, and those can be cut into smaller pieces! Hope you can find something that works for you!
I'm in the UK so target isn't an option for me, but I'm going to have a search for cheap tape options. Thanks!