Trans-aspies, do you bind/tuck/other?

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I don't do the whole tucking thing because it feels so uncomfortable, the same reason I don't wear bra's or shapers, or make-up, high-heels, or two-peice outfits. I just can't stand wearing them because they don't feel good!

I guess it is just due to my sensitivity to touch, which makes it very difficult to wear something that is not comforting, or lay on my bed without finding a comfy position...

Is there any other trans-aspies that are like this? Just out of curiosity...

I think clothing sensitivities are pretty common amongst us on the spectrum. I had high heeled boots once or twice as a child, and loathed them. The stilted heels were very uncomfortable, and so were the pointy toes. Take a look at your feet. No one I have ever seen, including myself has feet that come to a point in front. So what's the big idea from the foot gear companies making people wear foot gear that pinches everyone's toes. Maybe they are in league with the podiatrists, chiropractors, and orthopedic doctors. I never buy the pointy toed gear, myself. I always opt for rounded, or box toed foot gear.

I prefer tops tucked in, but will wear them either way, depending on my mood, or the circumstances.

I won't wear make up. I tried it as a child--children's make up kits, and Halloween make up, and didn't like how it felt on my skin, so I never pursued it as a teen or adult--I'm in my early 50s now, and have not changed my mind about it.

Bras are terribly uncomfortable, but I don't want to jiggle too much when I go out, so I wear them, then. I tried on sports bras, but they don't provide any support, and don't control the jiggling. I am going to look into long line bras, but only for wearing when I have to go out.

In the warm months I like to wear long, light weight, jersey knit night shirts around the house. They are very comfortable. In the winter I wear winter weight poly/cotton blend knit slacks, with knit tops. Years ago I tried thermal underwear as pajamas, but they were too clingy. I also tried fleece wear slacks, but the inside fleece acted as a magnet and trap for any hair that molted from my head. I have a lot of short, thick hair, so my normal, average molt is probably higher than someone with thin hair. Because of my skin sensitivities, once a hair molts, my skin acts like it is a foreign irritant, and my own molted hair makes me very itchy, until I can fish it out of my clothes. I also found that fleece slacks were too warm for me, at least indoors. I have to avoid slippers that have fake fur or fleece inside of them for the same reason, or my feet will go crazy from overheating.

I also have to avoid any foot gear that has seam stitching on the inside back of the heel, because that line of stitches will chafe the skin on the back of my heels raw.

At an early age I started to call myself the "Princess and the Pea" after that character in the old children's story, because of my skin sensitivities. Guess she was an Aspie, too.

Just wear what you want to wear, and ignore the pressures from other people. This is a free country, sort of, and, as long as you don't run around naked in public, you can wear whatever you want. One exception you might want to consider: When attending political, religious, or sports events, don't wear clothing in favor of the opposing side, and don't wear clothing knocking the main group there. Doing so could be unhealthy.
And remember, we on the spectrum are all:

A Different Drummer

If a man does not keep pace with his companions,
Perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer.
Let him step to the music which he hears,
However measured or far away.

--Henry David Thoreau

I like to bind because it squishes me and gets rid of my Hideous Lumps of Death (which are now secreting white fluids for no apparent reason ), but I don't bind well (at least not with that cheap one I had) and I lost my binder and my breasts have gone from size B to size D, so I need to get a new one before I can bind again.

I am srry. I have been trying to make mine grow larger than a size A...

I bind, because I'm semi-stealth (My friends/classmates who knew me 18 months ago know I'm trans, but I don't tell people who meet me now unless we become friends). The tight squeezing feeling is actually kind of comforting, like I'd expect Temple Grandin's squeeze machine to be.

I don't pack though. I don't think I'd be comfortable with a foreign object down there, even though trans guys I've talked to think it makes them feel as if they naturally have male equipment.

my friend binds I think it makes him feel more comfortable he doesn't pack though

I'm FTM, I often bind, sometimes just wear a sports bra, and I pack sometimes though packers can annoy me.

I really appreciate this topic cause I'm someone who's just starting to identify with the autistic traits that I've got and also I'm just starting to identify as an MtF transperson .

I totally agree that a lot of the expectations on how a female should look seem like too much for me sometimes. I feel like I SHOULD be okay not fitting into those because I've never really fit into the mold of most communities I've belonged to, but it's really hard because I can't help but feel like passing would be make me legitimate or something . Tucking sounds a bit frightening to me.

I've tucked before. In fact, the funny thing is that I've been tucking often as a kid...and then stopped when my hormones finally kicked in (at the ripe age of 18, that is). It's not scary. Especially if you feel that that thing between your legs wasn't made to be on your body, which...personally, I'm ambivalent about.

But, I'm not really trans. There's a whole lot more than would have to change, first, for any chance of passing. And, even if I could do it, I'd still, more often than not, prefer to look androgynous rather than pass completely.

I can understand the reasoning behind tucking/binding, but I still think it's pretty self-destructive to do as a lifestyle UNLESS one is planning on getting the associated surgeries.

i tuck, but it took a long time working at it slowly to get it so that i could work things into position... even still i need better underwear to hold things properly... but it definitely help, especially when i have to go out into public.

For me, depends on who I am in what situation. If in one situation I'm supposed to be male, I'll accommodate for that (which isn't all that uncomfortable, really - it's weird at first but you get used to it) or if I'm in a female situation, I'll adjust to accommodate that (which can feel a bit odd, considering). But I'm not binary, so it's less about "passing" as anything but confusing.

I'm a transman but I don't bind. It's due to sensory issues; I can't stand the feeling of something constricting my chest. Actually I'm averse to wearing tight-fitting clothes in general. Obviously this can be frustrating when I look down and don't see a flat chest, but my chest size is fairly small, so it's not too much of a bother.

I bind.

At first I hated how it felt, but wearing it over an undershirt helps keep it from riding up or scratching.

The squeeze it gives is pretty nice.

Sometimes it's just too hot out and I don't bother. I'm lucky in that I'm small chested and don't strictly need to do it. I do it because it links me with other trans men and because I like the appearance of a very flat chest.

MTF, but sadly still living as a guy. I sometimes tuck just out of gender dysphoria, because I want "it" gone, or at least out of the way.

I'm an MtF who's been full-time stealth for the past 6 and a half years. I am still pre-op though unfortunately. It's so expensive that it leaves me very frustrated.

1. I tuck so ridiculously hard, and have been doing it for so many years that it basically never comes untucked. If I WANTED to (not that I do), there are many thongs that I could wear, then go and like, perform gymnastics in, and pass the entire time without my tucking coming lose, or a single person watching me realizing that my bits are deformed. My girlfriend facetiously claims that I must have magical powers to pull it off.

2. I rarely wear wired bras unless I need to for a dress or something for some sorta high-brow event. The rest of the time I wear a sports bra, because it's much more comfortable. Even though I'm like, somewhere between a C and D cup, I still find it provides plenty of support (and actually is better than a regular bra cause I'm normally a very bouncy individual, and jumping or running in a regular bra can feel like getting punched in the chest). Yes I realize the irony of an MtF wearing a sports bra.

3. I don't wear makeup cause I don't feel like I need it.

4. I NEVER wear high heels, because for one thing, they are stupid, and for another thing, I'm of average height, and the LAST thing I want is to be 4-6 inches taller. Leave the high heels for the short women.

5. Two piece outfit? Almost 99% of all outfits are two piece or more. Only dresses are one piece, and even then some dresses are two piece. But yeah, virtually everything I wear is t-shirt and jeans. I generally don't like to show my stomach because I feel like my stomach is too fat, and I really need abdominoplasty. I'm not shameless like a lot of women who are willing to wear clothes very inappropriate for their body.

Tucking isn't really complicated at all, and I'm always confused by people who say they find it scary or don't know how to do it. I think there's some bad communication about what tucking actually is. It's two steps.

1. The hard part is getting the testicles inside the body; they started inside your body as a child, and they eventually descended. You are undescending them. I found the easiest way to do it when I was learning how to was to lay on my back. If you have a really large scrotum, it might help to soak in hot or cold water first to make the scrotum shrink. Now while lying on your back, gently slide your testicles as if you were aiming to pull them horizontally towards your head by 2 inches, and up vertically by about 1/2 inch. They should slide neatly into place, and now be located above the penis and under the skin. This becomes easier with time and after a few tries you should be able to do it standing up, because you'll know where you're supposed to be moving them.

2. The second part is trivially easy. You can stand up or continue lying down. Just stick the penis between your legs, and "try to make the head touch your anus." It's not recommended that you actually touch your anus unless you have very good hygiene. Pull tight as is comfortable. And that's it! Close your legs together to hold it in place, and/or hold it in place with your hand, and put a pair of relatively tight underwear on (2-4 sizes below what you would normally wear should work good; I recommend women's boxer briefs; they usually have the elastic in the right place, without causing a wedgie.)

Something like this

Aww, you can have mine! Let's trade!


I forgot to mention that I also pack, but only sometimes. It helps me to wear two sets of underwear--one is my normal one, but the other one goes on the outside of that, and I put my packer between them. I made my packer out of a sock, and I'm so proud of it!