The eggs are asking: do you have to be trans to wear a binder?

Before transitioning or even acknowledging that you’re trans, it’s common to have a lot of questions about the community. And while questions are always welcome, there are some queries that might lead trans folks to raise an eyebrow in recognition.

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For instance, when TikTok icon Chloe Forero, a cis woman who says she’s often confused for a trans woman, asked followers a question the other day, trans folks’ spidey senses instantly started to tingle.

@chloeforero

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“Can I, as a cis girl, wear a binder,” Forero asked, “or is that like…cultural appropriation.”

As you can imagine, the answers came in hot and heavy. First of all, yes. It’s totally fine for cis folks of any gender to wear a binder if it makes you feel more comfortable. Go for it! No gatekeeping here!

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But there was something else folks were noticing in the comments…

“CANON EVENT NOBODY MOVE,” one poster wrote, implying that this might be the very first baby step toward Forero coming out as transmasc.

“I’m gonna hold your hand when I tell you this,” another trans poster wrote.

All jokes aside, if someone is going to come out as trans, that’s their journey, and we shouldn’t speculate about it. However, this is definitely the kind of question that signals to trans people that someone might be asking questions about their gender presentation, which is often—not always, but often!—the first step toward embracing a new gender identity.

Whatever happens with Forero, we’ll remain obsessed with her incredible takes and general vibes. But for anyone who’s wondering if you have to be officially transmasc or even out to wear a binder, the answer is a resounding no. Whatever works for you, and whatever feels good, you do that! Bodies are hell, and whatever makes you feel better living in one—whether you’re trans or cis—go for it. Life is too short to have a chest that makes you unhappy, no matter who you are.