#bra on its easier but uncomfy

[housecow]

it is becoming embarrassingly difficult to reach down and use my vibrator ngl 😭

[buggerzz]

Was thinking about @shapeshiftersinc 's binders and wanted to review them on here :D

Im gonna be fully honest because. Why the hell would i lie???

Overview-

They are a great binder company. I fully reccomend buying from them- they have the best chest binders ive been able to find and are extremely inclusive and helpful. If you have the money to get one and are worrying it wont be worth it. Trust me. It is.

Pros-

Extremely comfortable.

I mean it. I have sensory issues- other binders ive had have been way too itchy and uncomfortable for me to wear regularly. Id always have issues with the tags- even after i cut them out, it always bothers me.

Shapeshifters have been WAY better. I dont know if it's the materials, the construction, or what but they are wonderful to wear. Ive had the occasional issue with the tag, but its small and pretty ignorable. Plus, I'm about 90% sure you could ask them to just not add it to avoid it entirely. Ive had no issues with scratchiness. Their mesh is breathable, not itchy, and stretchy :D half the time i can completely forget that im even wearing a binder, which says a LOT.

Fit & Bind-

Shapeshifters. Amazing once again. Theyre custom sized to your measurements, which avoids unnecessary tightness in the ribs, gaping at the top, or inconsistent/nonexistent binding. Im a 38DD-40DDD depending on brand, and literally no other binders have had anywhere near this level of bind. Obviously it doesnt get completely flat- but it gets as close as possible. Id say its about the same prominence as laying on your back with no bra- maybe a bit bigger. That being said, thats a HUGE improvement from every other brand ive tried.

Plus, if you have issues with things digging in anywhere or not fitting how you want, they do free alterations. WHICH IS INSANELY HELPFUL BY THE WAY.

Variety-

They have many different patterns and styles and types of binders. It's a lot of different options- undergarments to normal tops, gothic to pastel to flat colors. If youre somewhere hot they have purely mesh binders for extra ventilation, etc.

Plus, if you want a specific pattern you can custom order your own fabric design! Im doing this for my new one and am very excited. (Its the same pattern i have as my banner :>

Customer Service-

Actually wonderful. Eli has been the one talking with me on both of my binders, so i think theyre the main (English) customer service worker! Theyre wonderful and very helpful- straight to the point, speedy, and patient.

I had no clue I needed to upload my pattern to spoonflower and proof it, and they helped me with that even though I could've just. Read the product description 😭

Lots of love to Eli. Also Im so sorry im stupid???? Youre wonderful.

Ease of use-

Im disabled- big shoulder issues. If i angle it the wrong way it dislocates. Bit uncomfy. That being said, most binders are literally painful for me to put on. Especially to take off. It hurts and is a whole mess. However. Shapeshifter's stretchier fabrics make it easier to take on and off. Putting it on is usually completely fine. Taking it off can be an issue. But its way easier than other brands thankfully.

HOWEVER. shapeshifters offers zippers to be built in. Which seems bad because of uneven pressure, but they have stiff inserts in all zipper binders to evenly distribute the bind. When I ordered my 1st binder, i for some reason got the zipper on the side of my bad shoulder?? I usually only use the zipper to take it off, so its fine, but zipping it on is a nightmare. But thats on me because i ordered it stupidly. That being said, zipping it off is actually amazing. If theres any discomfort from the binder, I can just zip it down for a bit. Or i can fully take it off so much easier. 2nd binder from them, i havent ordered the zipper because its not that difficult for me personally to take it off without, but i would recommend it if you need that extra ease!

Durability-

An old binder had tearing stitching after 2 months of semi-regular wear. Bad. My shapeshifter binder ive been wearing up to 5 days a week for up to 8 hours a day. The only signs of wear it has is some deodorant stains. Need I say more. It also hasnt stretched at all- it has the same bind and comfort and fit as it did the day I got it.

CAN YOU SEE WHY I LOVE THESE.

CONS NOW!!

Time

They do take a while to be made and arrive. Because theyre custom made by a small team, it takes a couple months to get one. I ordered one in July and got it in August, for example. I personally do not care about this one because it is such a high quality binder.

Price

Once again, small team making high quality custom products. It gets pricey. My first one was $116 including shipping, taxes, etc. Its important to note that i got a zipper (+$20) and a lot of customization options not everyone will need or want! Once again, i think its worth it as it will probably last me a WHILE. Also they gotta pay their team fairly. WE LOVE PAYING PEOPLE LIVABLE WAGES!

Overall, I do reccomend. In fact I've gotten a friend to get themselves one aswell lmao

Theyre actually an amazing team and i wish them lots of love, appreciation, and success!! Cant wait to get my new binder >:D

[genderfluiddipshit]

Number One Thing that a lot of people don't consider, which get their hopes up and then let down: Most binders work most effectively for B cup and under. At least, that's what I've experienced. I've been wearing binders for a while (~5 years), and I'm on the high end of DD. It is a living hell trying to find a binder that isn't tight as a corset nor loose like a shirt. So, always keep cup size in mind, and the fact that, if your cup size is larger, the binding effect will be less significant. Another thing to not is that, if you are an A cup, you do not need a binder. Period. Your breasts are lacking in mass enough that a simple stacking of sports bras will do the trick (if needed, of course.) To Look For:

Binders that are a material mix of nylon, spandex, and cotton tend to be comfortable while not having a lot of give. Here's the binder that I bought (I have 3); if you end up buying one, they will be uncomfy at first. A few washes and wear will soften it up.

Tank binders. They will be so much easier to pull on and off. Really! They are less convenient in the summer, but they are a lot more comfortable and more flexible (can be a downside, but the benefits outweigh the costs in my opinion). They are also highly recommended if you have a larger cup size, since racerbacks and half tanks create this weird tent effect that leaves the binder to hang off your torso.

Check the sizing guidelines. If a small measurement is under the categorization of a weirdly large size, or vice versa, look for a different binder. I've had many a time where my measurements put me under a very large and incorrect size, or in a size too small. One time, when I was looking to get a binder, I'd taken my measurements, triple-checked them, and got 5XL on gc2b. I am a 2XL on gc2b. The 5XL fit like a shirt. Check your measurements, get a trusted person to help you take them/get a second opinion on them.

It's a trial-and-error process. While sometimes complex, binder returns and exchanges are often an option. Find the binder you want to try, take measurements, order it, try it on, and if it doesn't work, get an exchange! Happened to me recently, and it was not at all a hassle. Be safe if you try on a binder that's a size you're not sure about; getting stuck is real and scary.

Make sure the binder can support having your breasts compressed straight on. A good binder compresses your chest so that your nipples are pointing straight out. If you pushed your hands against your breasts to compress them, the nipple rests at about the middle. That's what you want the binder to do. When you put a binder on, it may take some adjustment to get your breasts sitting right. All that matters is in the binder can hold your tissue in place,

A graphic example (pardon the poor quality, I'm writing this in the tender hours of 12am):

Things to Avoid:

Binders from Amazon or gc2b. These binders can lack quality (in the case of Amazon) or have a diminished binding effect due to lack of rigidity (in the case of gc2b). gc2b is great for lower cup sizes, but the more breast tissue you have, the less of a binding effect you get, especially from gc2b binders. I've also heard peeps about gc2b binders being very uncomfortable on your back and ribs, despite the binding effect being minimal.

Tapes. Generally, people avoid tapes because of their tendency to be painful to nipples and areolas upon removal, as well as (you guessed it) ineffectiveness! They don't work as well on larger cup sizes (who woulda thunk), and they can be really hurtful to some very sensitive tissue. Some tapes come with pasties to protect your nipples, but that gives the tape less surface area to stick to, reducing its effectiveness.

Not doing research. Don't just take it from me--talk to other trans people about their recommendations and experiences with different binders, types and companies. Some are better than others, and the best way to learn is by anecdotal evidence. Also, look up binder companies! Binders ain't cheap, but there are a lot of companies out there that specialize, including a few smaller businesses! Here's some good starting points.

Binder measurements lie. A lot of measurements assume that body parts will match in proportion, which obviously isn't the case; humans look different, so their bodies will fit into clothes differently. As said with trial and error above, it's important to just try it on and see how it goes.

If you have any questions, feel free to DM me or reblog this! I'm happy to answer :3

Happy binding! <3

I think I might want a binder. Tumblr? Any recommendations of where to buy one or things to look out for/avoid?

[sunlightandsuffering]

Sometimes when Mikasa goes out she doesn't use bras, especially on hot days. What she uses are nipple tapes or those silicone nipple covers. I mean bras can be so restricting and uncomfy sometimes and her having big boobs doesn't make it any easier for her 😭 kinda feel bad for my girl

She'd rock them tho!! but lmfaooo it drives Eren insane, she doesn't do it often but when she does she makes it a whole fit, uses super cute nipple tape or stickers, like little stars and she thinks it's so cute and Eren is like NO ONE IS ALLOWED TO SEE U!! U LOOK TOO RAVISHING I'M OBSESSED WITH U!!! He spends the entire day glaring at any men who attempt to look at his model of a girlfriend 😂😂 but also, she uses star stickers and when she puts them on she lets him kiss the stickers right before lol its like good luck for the day baby, a kiss to both 😂

[vespaer77]

Is Breast Reduction for Me?

Are you hurting and kinda want to die?  Are you curious about whether or not those two floppy flesh bags on your chest are sabotaging your happiness and ruining your life?  Then ask yourself these simple questions:

1) Can you buy a bra?  Like, at all? Anywhere? Ever?  Or is the World of Women’s Clothing doing its best to convince you that you have a non-standard size?  A small-ish band with a large-ish cup?  That’s the first clue right there.  When I first started wondering, I was a 34G.  People always told me, “You don’t look that big,” but that was because I was curved so far forward under the weight that I didn’t, and couldn’t, really stick them out.  Didn’t mean they weren’t there and huge.  And I was still running, but I’ll get to that in a minute.  I’m now a 36G because I stopped running and put on 40lbs.  People say to me, “Oh Lane Bryant!”  No.  NOT Lane Bryant.  The smallest band size they carry is a 38, which is still too big.  It’s not how I’m framed, it’s not who I am.  My choices are these: a) roll the dice and pay $70-$120 for a bra online, sight unseen, or b) live my life tucking and stuffing myself into sports bras and praying no man ever wants to see me naked.  Which isn’t hard, because oddly they generally don’t, LOL.  I think it’s my self-esteem.  Which leads me to my next question.

2) Do you feel invisible, even though it looks like you’re trying to smuggle two Saint Bernard puppies under your shirt?  Who can ignore that?!?  Is your self-esteem so low, as a result, that it literally cloaks you in Harry Potter style invisibility?  Do you feel your neck, shoulders, and back curving forward so much under the weight that you no longer make eye contact and smile at people because you’d have to stick out your chest to straighten yourself up?  And you don’t want to make that kind of spectacle of yourself in front of small children at the grocery store?  And it also kinda pinches between your shoulderblades?  So you remain single and childless at 41?  Or is that just me.... I’m guessing it’s not just me.

3) Do you ever turn your neck wrong or sleep funny and get that little “crick” in your neck?  Pinch a nerve?  Hurts a lot to look over your shoulder in traffic for a couple days?  HAHAHA, yeah, I thought that was cute too.  NOW.  Is your whole life like that all of the time, every minute of every day?  Do you know that if you don’t stretch your neck and shoulders when you get out of bed every single morning without fail, you’re going to have a bad day?

4) Take stock of how often you’re popping Ibuprofin or Aleve.  If you’re young and you’re taking pain medication even as little as every OTHER day... there’s a problem.

5) Is it hard to fit right in clothing, even if you know it’s your size and it fits right everywhere else?  This is a serious struggle, guys.  Like, on a scale of 1 to 10, how nervous are you to buy something online that you KNOW is your size... but you’re unable to try on?  I see so many girls doing those cute monthly box services and they get some really great stuff in them and they look so pretty and I’m all, “Yeah.......... but look at your cute little boobies.”

6) Let’s get really uncomfy and talk about the rash, ladies.  Do underwires give you blisters?  Do you have scars on your rib cage and in your armpits from... your bra?  What about in your cleavage?  Do you know that you have to scrub there really hard in the shower or you’ll regret it? Like, weirdly hard?  Do you know that if you don’t slather that area in deoderant it’s going to create a weird.... smell?  Have you ever had to deal with fungus going on there in the summertime?  Because let’s be REALLY REALLY REAL HERE GIRLS - THAT’S  A REAL THING THAT HAPPENS.  Has it happened to you?  Have you actually had to use creme for athlete’s foot in your bra...???

7) Have you had to stop doing physical things you enjoy?  Have you had to stop running, walking, lifting weights, dancing at clubs, enjoying rigorous sex - anything that jiggles your chest too hard because of the two-day migraine you know will follow?  Have you ever had to call in sick to work because your pain kept you up all night?  I am currently writing this post because I’m doing just that.

Ladies, here’s the REALLY disgusting thing.  It’s SO EASY to rationalize every single one of these things, and attribute them to other causes.  Even if your breasts are utterly MASSIVE, it’s so easy to ignore them.  Like, even as I’m writing out this list, and even thinking of other things I maybe didn’t list, I’m seriously in shock that I waited so long to wake up and recognize what the problem really was.  I was always convinced that my neck was just sore from running, and that was it.  It wasn’t until other forms of exercise starting causing problems that I started to really be aware of the underlying reason.  The rash I always attributed to my corset and ren faire.... even when it was happening during other times of the year.  I used to rationalize my Aleve habit by telling myself, “Well, you’re just getting older.”  

BULLSHIT.

It’s the boobs.  They are wrecking you.  And you’re STILL YOUNG ENOUGH TO HEAL AND ENJOY YOUR LIFE FREE OF THEIR MENACE.  But if you read this and think - or even say out loud - MY GOD THIS IS ME, then it is NOT in your mind.  There IS no other reason.  IT IS YOUR BOOBS.  There is a solution.

Reduction is scary, though, because it’s a surgery and it’s expensive.  And you might not be sure you can get it covered by your insurance.  Welllllllll it might be easier than you think, especially if you’ve answered Yes to everything above.  Or even part of it.  I seriously hope you haven’t had fungus.  I’ll be posting next, though, about dealing with insurance.  In the meantime, PLEASE reblog.  PLEASE share.  Awareness about this issue is important ladies - it’s a quality of life issue, and I know I suffered longer than I had to as a result.  You don’t have to.

[gaygajeel]

Yes! The ways Fairy tail does anatomy wrong! Thank you :3 ( Sorry about that, I'm really nervous D: )

its ok!! im glad to be able to help out with this kind of stuff

this got pretty lengthy so its gonna be under cut! heres some links that may also help, i dont think i forgot anything super important?

i have a general art ref tag on my main , general arm references

how to draw breasts video (nsfwish of course) , foreshortening

figure drawing tips

hands for drawing (3d models of hands you can play around with (warning it greets u with a torso model that has a ding dong out))

how to connect legs to the torso (highly stylized,but good things to keep in mind)

while some things can vary from style to style, i bolded the basic rules of anatomy if you dont wanna stick to just realism. mashimas style is actually closer to realism than a cartoon, most exaggerated things arent style but anatomy problems. things of his that are stylized for example are the eyes. he actually has really got down how to make eyes bigger than usual and not have it look wrong/bad.

first and foremost, the most noticeable thing in many ft drawings is the boobs.

boobs are not perfect circles for one. an important thing to remember when drawing boobs is that gravity affects them. when standing upwards, boobs will be pulled downwards and a fold against the skin is noticeable. this of course changed depending on the pose of the character, such as if they are lying down they will lean more towards the sides.

the best thing to coach yourself on making sure the boobs arent too big is to make sure they are not bigger than the head. 

while boobs do jiggle during many forms of exercise, having a female character not have good support for their breasts is very... unrealistic, as most ppl with boobs tend to get aches from this sort of thing. different support can do different things though. sports bras typically keep The JiggleTM to a low, while there are special bras for pushing up your breasts to make them look bigger & cleavage more noticeable.

other factors to take into account: boobs are attached to skin that go up to the arm pit, so if the arm is more upwards this can affect where the boob is as skin is tightening. boobs are soft, but not jelly.

boobs arent smack dab on the chest unless the before mentioned push up bras are in play. they hang about, but also dont go on the abdomen, they basically dont go over the rib cage.

also, nipples come in all different kinds of sizes & placements but are typically 2 head lengths down and the angle is outwards.

the torso

hips & waist are big issues in ft. hips typically shouldnt be bigger than shoulders unless part of character design/body type

waists shouldnt be too much smaller than ribcage. a good thing to remember is that your character is supposed to have organs in there. unless they are meant to be malnourished or have a very skinny body type, avoid it. looking up diagrams of muscles & organs around there helps me define how big this portion should be.

there are all kinds of body shapes, especially with feminine characters. typical ones are hour glass (small waist), diamond (large waist & hips, sometimes actually bigger than shoulders), rectangle (hips, shoulders, and waist are basically the same shape), triangle (small hips & waist, big shoulders, the common body type for guys), inverted triangle/pear (small shoulders & waist, big hips)... the list goes on and on, really.

even when you have abs, when you bend over your skin folds/rolls up. its natural! 

male & female musculature isnt really much different from one another. what differs is the bones & fat placements.

since you have stuff in ur tummy, i wouldnt say it bulges out but its certainly not just a straight line. its more noticeable if theres tight clothes involved, the area is showing, or its a side view.

legs/thighs

thighs gaps are not as common as you think. thighs support much of our body and are meant to be big as theres lots of muscle & fat.

you cant really have big thighs & big thigh gaps like mashima makes it. sometimes it kinda looks like he gives them hip dyspepsia honestly. basically, you either have skinny thighs & a gap, or thick thighs & no gap. while some ppl may be uncomfy with this part, its also important that you know how to define the crotch, gap or not. this is much easier with vaginas than penises though and vaginas you can get away with just a V between the thighs.

the thickness of the thighs affect how big the ass will be (thicker thighs = bigger butt).

half of body is legs while the other half is torso & head.

knee placement varies & depends on body type, but is normally about in the middle of the leggo.

other notes

an easy way to make sure the size of your hands are right is to compare it to the characters face. when putting the beginning of the palm on the beginning of the face/chin, fingers end a bit above eyes or eyebrows. this is something that can vary as well, such as if you want a character to look creepy you typically give them longer fingers.

necks are meant to support the head. while drawing them smaller than usual is a common part of lots of peoples drawings, you want to at least make sure your character has a neck that wont easily snap. necks are about the size of your head, as if you feel up it it stops at your ear. there are only certain types of bodies this can go well with, pearl from SU being a good example because she overall has a very small body type.

theres a difference between flexible & wrong anatomy. someone may have a back that can easily bend certain ways, but there are limits. bones & muscles will limit you.

fairy tail has odd ear placements in which they tend to go above the eye even in face-forward views- avoid that. putting ears around the same place as the nose tends to do the trick, with ears ending around eye level.

if you want to intentionally give a character supper skinny arms like mashima does, this has to go with the body type, and it also affects how visible the collarbone is.

ft has a really weird habit of making reeaallly angled collarbones. collarbones start a bit below the neck (neck muscles coming down to them), and go to the shoulder. collarbone visibility depends on body type as mentioned before, and the pose of the character. you wont see the collarbone of a character with an arm reaching up. often times when the characters posed is relaxed, the collarbone will actually just look like a straight line.

not sure if this really counts as anatomy but mashima makes hair look like ribbons at times when they are 2 completely different textures & materials. hair goes all about, not just one solid direction.

the lower the eyes are, the younger the character looks. placement of eyes is actually really important when it comes to age.

when drawing a character with muscle, make sure you think of weight & depth! dont just give them lines where muscles should be, or you get.....Noodlebuster. muscles are heavy & defined.

arms typically stop at hips (when saying arms i am excluding hands). this can be a very hard thing to maintain when having your character do dynamic poses, so the foreshortening video linked above should help with that.

unless its part of your style, legs that look like straight lines are gonna look funky (when looking at a skeleton you see the bones are more curved)

mashima tends to make the back of the head wayy too big, and this really makes his neck problem evident. 

i really wish i could make diagrams & drawings of my own to help get the point across better but its late, so if you want me too i can put that on my to-do list!

[fat-worthy-wonderfulll]

Also. Im learning,,,good things happen when you listen to your body??? My mind is clearer and its easier to pay attention in class when I feed myself when I’m hungry. Yesterday I was having trouble studying because I was so tired, so I took a nap and woke up and studied easily. 

Its also littler things than that like noticing that my bra was super uncomfy and I wanted to take it off, so I just did? Noticing I felt like moving and not focusing on writing a paper so I took my dog for a walk instead and thought of an idea for my paper! 

Its like I've always known that your mind/life/everything works better when you’re body is listened to, when its well fed, rested, hydrated and has been gently moved but I guess I’ve never felt it and never knew that I could actually feel this good. Who woulda thunk it. 

**obviously I am a person who is lucky to not have a chronic illness that causes chronic fatigue and ‘just taking a break’ isn't possible for everyone.