Combating Gender Dysphoria before Surgery

Gender Dysphoria and Medical Interventions

Gender dysphoria is the feeling of distress that comes from a mismatch between a person’s sex assigned at birth and their gender identity. Many trans people experience this, and it manifests itself in many different ways, depending on the person. For trans men in particular, this can show as discomfort with their hair, chest, voice, body shape, and genitals.

To combat gender dysphoria, many trans men seek out hormone therapy to affirm their gender and make them feel more at home in their body. This, however, takes a lot of time. In the UK, some people have had to wait three years to get an appointment with a gender therapist to start hormone therapy through the NHS. Waiting times for gender-affirming top and bottom surgeries also vary depending on a number of factors. It’s important to note that not all trans men and transmasculine people choose to undergo medical interventions for a variety of different reasons, whether they experience gender dysphoria or not.

Dealing with Gender Dysphoria Non-Medically

There are a number of ways trans men can deal with gender dysphoria prior to (or without) hormones and/or surgery. The most common ways to do this are chest binding and packing. Today, there are a number of products designed to help transgender and gender non-conforming people express themselves, relieve feelings of gender dysphoria, and feel more at home in their bodies.

Chest binding is how trans men and transmasculine people flatten their chest to give it a more masculine contour without undergoing FTM top surgery. This can greatly help reduce feelings of chest dysphoria, and help transmasculine people feel more at home in their bodies. These are generally done with tight-fitting garments that are worn on the chest, called binders. You can read more about chest binding on the Transition FtM UK article here, or on the Paxsies article here. If you think binding is right for you, it’s important to remember to bind safely. Binding too tightly, or for too long, can lead to serious injury.

Packing, on the other hand, is how transmasculine individuals give the appearance of a bulge in their pants. Not all trans men and transmasculine people feel the need to pack, but if they do, this is generally done with a packer. There are a wide range of materials used to make packers, from silicone to cotton, so it’s ultimately up to what works for you. You can read more about packing on the Transition FtM UK article here, or on the Paxsies article here.

Despite how far we’ve come in creating binders and packers for transmasculine people, there is still huge room for improvement. Chest binders generally aren’t safe for exercise, and they can get really hot and sweaty, especially for people that work out a lot, or live in warmer parts of the world. Packing can also be uncomfortable, even for trans men who experience dysphoria. This is because packers can be heavy, and wearing them for extended periods of time might cause their skin to react to the packer’s material.

Paxsies – Who we are, and what we do

At Paxsies, we aim to create underwear products that address these issues and help transmasculine people express themselves and feel at home in their bodies, whatever they may be doing. We’re small team of people with diverse backgrounds and identities unified by one shared purpose: to make good quality underwear products for transgender and gender non-conforming people worldwide. We believe that everyone should have access to affordable and safe binding and packing options that affirm their gender and help them express themselves without sacrificing comfort or functionality. To do this, we realised that we needed to think outside the box.

We started on Kickstarter in 2019 with the goal of bridging the gap between the quality and accessibility of underwear products and the needs of transgender people. Through a combination of our personal experiences and listening to other people’s stories, we developed our first product, the all-in-one packing boxer, which has a pouch in the front to hold a firm foam packer. This allows for complete freedom of movement, since the packer is secure, and eliminates the discomfort that sometimes comes with having a bulky packer. Our all-in-one packing boxers give the appearance of a natural-looking bulge without sacrificing comfort. This is great for people who prefer not to pack with a phallic-looking packer, but if you do want to use a phallic packer, you can still stick it in the front pouch for added comfort!

Our gender-neutral boxers embody our belief that underwear should not be gendered. We created these to fit anybody and any body! They have pockets on either side for added convenience, and are made with the same soft fabric that we make our packing boxers with, too!

Paxsies chest-binders come in a variety of different styles to suit your binding needs. Our basic binder and sports binders have been tested and approved for use during exercise, which means they’re perfectly safe to use during your workouts! Our sports binder in particular has a lower back and narrower straps to increase your range of motion and help ensure that you aren’t soaking in sweat after your workout sessions. If powerful compression on the chest and abdomen are most important to you in your search for a binder, our singlet binder would be perfect (and it passes nicely as a regular undershirt).

As the world continues to change, we at Paxsies continue to look for ways to innovate and create products that best allow people to explore their self-expression, no matter who they are. If you want to learn more about who we are, our story, or our products, check out our website here, or e-mail us at info@paxsies.com!