Hi, shapeshifters. This blog has gotten a little dusty since we moved monthly giveaways to their own page! We haven’t forgotten it, though. In the process of creating explanatory threads on Twitter and detailed Q&As on Tumblr, it’s occurred to us that a dedicated archive of everything we know about chest binders and binding could be really useful to a whole bunch of folks.
Starting in August, this blog will become that dedicated space! Expect posts on a wide variety of topics, including:
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Which binder length is most useful for your needs!
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Why would you want a zipper, anyway?
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What IS an extended outer layer, and how can it help?
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What to do if you’re binding with scoliosis? Asthma? Ehlers-Danlos syndrome?
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How to bind safely in a wide variety of situations!
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Common misconceptions and misinformation!
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Sports bras and how they’re different!
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Periodic production reports in the shop!
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And more! So, so much more. Five years of dedicated binder tailoring and often-intensive customer feedback has put us in a unique position to talk about every aspect of chest binding from a huge variety of perspectives.
Though we will be mainly talking about Shapeshifters products, because we make them, and we get feedback about them, this space is not intended to be an extended advertisement. You’re already here! We want you to be as informed as you can be in your purchases. To that end, sometimes we’ll talk about other binder companies, and sometimes we’ll talk about Binding In General, regardless of brand.
Our goal is that someday, when one of you lovely people emails us a very detailed and specific question about your binding needs, we can respond with a link to a blog post that answers that very question in equally strong detail.
As always, we could never do this without you. Your feedback is the bedrock of our knowledge, and your input on our content is always going to be welcome. That’s why we are fully prepared to moderate comments to make this a space where everyone can share their thoughts, ideas, experiences, worries, and needs.
A little bit about me, your regular author: I’m Eli. I’ve been wearing our binders for longer than we’ve been a store. I used to interpret in a law firm, and before that I was a grad student in language history. I sewed cosplay and costumes for years, but I never thought I’d be co-running a custom shop with my wonderful wife until it was already happening.
I believe everybody should have clothes that fit, and everybody should get to feel comfortable in them.
On the internet, I used to co-moderate a JRPG fanfiction webforum, back when forums were the Done Thing. I’ve had a few blogs, but this will be my first fully professional place to write about what I do. My role model for comment moderation and community building is Captain Awkward. I’m excited to share what I know, and to build more knowledge — and maybe even community! — with all of you.