Tumblr has been showing targeted ads for "FTM binders" off Amazon. They look like this:
Do not buy these.
A binder is a piece of medical equipment. If you use one incorrectly, or use a poorly made one, you can really fuck up your ribs. This article from the Cleveland Clinic talks about how to bind safely.
A $14 binder is guaranteed not to be safe. There's a reason reputable companies charge more- sometimes a lot more. They have to carefully design binders so they don't crush your ribs or make you sick.
You know how everyone says Don't Bind With Duct Tape? Don't bind with Amazon binders.
I'm like super normal and not unhinged in the slightest (I spent 3 days formatting, printing, and binding a niche internet story about sci fi football into a 280 page physical book)
Want to fanbind? Need davy boards/book boards and low on funds? I have an excellent hack for you:
Repurpose shitty books
"But!!!" You may say, "no book is shitty! All human experiences are worth putting to paper!"
You're right! But, also, Counterpoint:
I went to my local thrift shop and got these for the low price of $5 for all 10. ("Getting into politics?" The lovely ladies behind the counter asked me. "In a manner of speaking," I replied.)
Once I got home, it was easy to turn them into this, their component parts:
("Please stop saying you're skinning them," my partner begged. Too late!)
[EDIT TO ADD: Here's a guide! Also on my tumblr. Also - when thrifting, bring a piece of paper folded or cut into the minimum size you need for boards: this way you can make sure you're getting big enough material!]
While these are just book boards, diligent deconstruction can even yield headbands, I'm pretty sure - I'll report back on my next trial run. [EDIT TO ADD: yup, you can!]
I cannot overstate the delight I have in giving these covers new life for binding fanfiction, particularly the queer kind.
This is an outfit, I created for another collection I developed during my time studying at the university. The name of the collection is Desperate Passion and is inspired by blood and roses. Concept of this collection is zero waist and a modular system, which means, during the creation of the outfit, there was zero waist of material and each panel of fabric can be detached from each other and be tied together differently to create a new outfit.
The photos are taken by talented woman named Giorgia Spina and the model is Jane Danson.