He never seemed comfortable; Now we know that he is not.
Nearly two-thirds of male-to-female transitioners who squeeze their private parts to avoid a bulging crotch describe some form of pain as a result.
This is what emerges from the first study of its kind carried out by the University of Virginia on “tucking”, as it is known.
Researchers found that pain, itching and rashes are common problems in the sensitive area.
But some fools make it worse.
In one of her videos, trans TikToker Dylan Mulvaney showed viewers how to tape up her bump with a ‘girdle kit’.
Researchers said “testicular torsion and infection” are among the biggest risks of flexing
At least one in ten suffered urinary tract infections.
Others suffer from “twisted gonads” and skin infections.
A handful of tuckers end up infertile from squeezing their private parts too much.
Nicholas Kidd, Kelley Mark and the other researchers said doctors need to do more to help trans patients.
They should “empathetically discuss plastic surgery and its potential risks and benefits,” the five-page study says.
From corsets to push-up bras, people have used clothing to shape the look of their bodies for centuries.
The sharp increase in men seeing themselves as women in recent years has spurred demand for clothing that makes them appear more feminine.
Few trans women undergo complete genital removal surgery, so plastic surgery is the preferred option.
They do this to “relieve dysphoria and feel more secure,” the study says.
Trans TikToker Dylan Mulvaney says ‘hiding’ her bump is ‘painful and complicated’
Some trans women opt for the ‘trick’ to hide their private parts
Others buy a ‘girdle kit’ to tape over the bulging area and appear more feminine.
Trans TikToker Dylan Mulvaney is one of those trans women who fought against the “bulge,” as she calls it.
She set out to achieve a “pocket Barbie” look, she said.
But folding, he added, was “very painful and complicated.”
Many trans women simply opt for “logier items,” Mulvaney added.
Tuckers often use duct tape or tight underwear. Some wear a special undergarment known as a gaff.
Last year, the Target brand launched an LGBTQ+ range that included “friendly” swimsuits for trans women.
Conservatives led a boycott of the brand.
For the study, researchers surveyed nearly 100 trans and gender diverse people, ages 18 to 70.
They said they learned how to eat from friends, experimenting on their own or online.
More than four in ten said they started doing it when they were children.
As adults, four-fifths of them bundled up, some for up to 13 hours a day.
Trans women like Caitlyn Jenner say they have to take breaks from swaddling, which becomes painful as the hours go by.
Last year, Target introduced ‘crease-friendly’ swimsuits for trans women in its LGBTQ+ range
The trans swimsuits angered conservative shoppers, who led a damaging boycott of the retailer.
Most said they took breaks to stop bending as they found it painful.
Nearly two-thirds said bending had caused them problems.
They ranged from gonad pain to itching, rashes, urinary tract infections, sprains, skin infections and even infertility.
One in ten respondents had to go to a doctor or hospital because their condition was very serious.
And, they said, the more hours a trans woman works per day, the worse the problem becomes.
Less than a quarter of trans women said they talked to doctors about bending techniques.
Doctors should “discuss potential risks including fertility problems, pain, itching, rash, and less likely but potentially more serious risks such as testicular torsion and infection,” the researchers said.
They said the subsidence was associated with “reduced sperm quality.”
It was unclear whether those rendered infertile by swaddling could reverse the damage.