Yo!  This is a very important PSA for trans folks who bind their chests.  Even if that doesn’t pertain to you, I’d really appreciate if you’d reblog it or repost it or anything to spread it, because it’s a really important safety thing that is basically unknown amongst trans folks.

A lot of trans folks don’t have binders available, because of cost or parents or whatever.  A common solution to this is sports bras - doubled or way way too small or both.  Some people use sports bras even though they do have binders.  If you use them for binding for any reason, this PSA is for you.  (Note: this also includes crossplayers, crossdressers, etcetera.  I’m using trans folks as a shorthand because that’s what I’m used to, but this includes all of y’all as well.)

So there’s a whole shitload of warnings and safety advice about binders - don’t wear them for more than eight hours a day, don’t sleep in them, blah blah blah.  Basically anyone with a binder at this point knows these rules.  (Whether they follow them is a different question, because sometimes people’s dysphoria overrides health concerns - which is not good btw - but the point is they know them.)

Nobody ever tells you safety stuff about sports bras.  People assume there is no need to worry about safety.  After all, cis folks wear them all the time, while exercising, and no one warns about that.  And you never hear warnings about it for trans folks, either.

THIS IS WRONG.

When cis people wear sports bras, they wear them one at a time  and they wear ones that fit.  When trans people wear them, the goal is just to squash as much as physically possible.

The thing about a sports bra versus a binder is that a binder is designed to keep the chest/ribs and the sticky outty bits even, so it’s flat.  That means it pushes way harder against the lumps than the ribs.  A sports bra, on the other hand, is supposed to go out for the lumps.  That means that in order for it to be tight enough to squash those it has to be really really tight on the ribs.  (Sports bras often look like they’re flat when you lay them out, but the elastic around the ribs is much tighter than around the lump area nevertheless.)

Net result: enough sports bra to get your chest flat will squeeze your ribs way harder than a binder will.

Unfortunately, because they never tell you to be careful with sports bras, people wear them in situations where they wouldn’t wear binders even if they do have them - when sleeping, in the evening after a full day of binding, during exercise (which really seems like it should be safe!), etc.

I’ve given myself pleurisy multiple times and caused probably-permanent rib damage just binding with sports bras.  No binders, certainly no ace bandages, no duct tape, just sports bras.

Just because you’re not using a binder or something that nearly everyone knows is a really bad idea by now (ace bandages, duct tape) doesn’t mean you’re safe.

So, yeah.  Be aware that sports bras can be just as dangerous as binders or even way more so.  If you’re just wearing one at a time that actually fits like it was designed to (not too small), you’re probably fine.  But if you’re doing full-on binding with them, be aware and be careful.  Read all the warnings about binders and follow their advice as though you were wearing one.  Thank you for your attention.

[Edit: since a fair number of people apparently aren’t aware of the dangers of binding in general or safe practices for binding, I made a post about more general binding safety that explains how to do it so you don’t damage yourself.  It’s here.]

TL;DR: Follow the safety advice for binders when you’re binding with sports bras.  They are not automatically safe!