Chest Binding Help Forum (got some guide links! first post!)

[luvan1me]

so i'm opening this thread so that others can put in their questions about binding and have their questions answered here, and of course help us binding newbies XD i also have some links below for those who want to really get into the depth of binding. the ones i marked in red are the best ones and i think those will really help newbies, and even those who aren't, may find interesting to broaden their horizons

here are some links to some helpful forums and guides: (*ones i recommend*)
*~Hudson's Guide: FTM Binding~
*~Transguys~
*~BINDING: CREATING A MALE-APPEARING CHEST~
http://www.kumoricon.org/forums/index.php?topic=11598.0
http://www.kumoricon.org/forums/index.php?topic=6753.0
http://www.kumoricon.org/forums/index.php?topic=4264.0


my first question is this:

so i'm trying to cosplay Italy (APH) in his swimsuit outfit (open shirt) (look at my siggy, last one) and i really wanted to chest bind for the first time.

what type of binding should i do/use?

is this an okay one for my first time (with this kind of open shirt)? http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270596784115&var=570005782181&fromMakeTrack=true&ssPageName=VIP:watchlink:top:en#ht_2250wt_905

or should i go with something like this: http://www.t-kingdom.com/shopping/english/page801_english.shtml

i do want something skin colored though >.< or are there any other methods (that won't physically hurt me btw) that i can use? thanks!

[Ticra]

either of those will work, or, as I do it, just use several ace bandages to flatten your chest out. (getting a friend to help with this is the most successful. Do it over a sports bra and then 'divide and conquer')
It's sort of up to personal preferance and boobs. Certian boobs work better with certian methods. Whatever you choose you need to practice with it. It's like people who wear heels for the first time to a convention. It ends up looking uncomfortable and it feels worse. You need to put it on and wear it a fair bit to get used to it before you try wearing it for longer periods of time.

If it's too tight it's going to be very uncomfortable and painful, and if it's not tight enough it won't work. If it's the right size and you have enough practice your body will get used to breathing in the top of your lungs and it'll actually feel plenty comfortable. It might chafe a little but it shouldn't hurt.

Again, it's hard to say what will work for you since ever body is different. If I were you I'd try to start with ace bandage if just to get the feel of it. If you decide that you don't like how that looks you can move on to the binder shirts.
Good luck!

[@random]

This keeps coming up, so there are actually a few threads about it that could be used as reference material. At some point it might be good to make a permanent "How-To" board for stuff like this and Wig Help.

Anyways, without further ado:
http://www.kumoricon.org/forums/index.php?topic=11598.0
http://www.kumoricon.org/forums/index.php?topic=6753.0
http://www.kumoricon.org/forums/index.php?topic=4264.0


_{(Edit: To be clear for the record, I neither recommend nor discourage any of the various approaches people suggest in those threads. I'm simply linking previous threads, as an alternative to the more customary approach of merging threads that have been covered before into an existing thread.)}

[luvan1me]

@ticra: thank you sooo much! that helps alot! and i'm used to breathing at the top of my lungs XD so i think that fixs that :3 and i've done binding when i was little, but more like i got my mom's bandages and i tried it for like 1 hour and then i was like o_e lol but i'm sure now that i have bigger boobs it maay be a bit more difficult, but then again, maybe not! thanks so much!

@randompvg: most of those threads are kinda old (links wise for the 2nd one) but i got some stuff off there, but most of them seem kinda unsafe methods (seranwrap, tape, etc.), but they did help.

i think i may do that, since most of us girls have nothing to go by except friends, and some of these old threads, that are very hard to find. thanks

[Ticra]

Yeah Don't use seran wrap or tape...
Some people swear by it but I've heard WAY too many horror stories. If your gonna wrap do it with self-stick Ace bandage (it sticks to itself, not you, so that it's easier to wrap) and don't wrap as tight as you can, unless the character is supposed to be bright red and wheezy.
Practice makes perfect.
Whatever you decide, good luck!

[luvan1me]

thanks! i will! and if anyone wants more help on this please look at what ticra wrote for advice and what randompvg gave as links! i will post the links on the first post!