Teens encouraged to use holiday gift-giving to sneak binders into house

[Kennebec]

Lurker temporarily delurking. Saw this going around on Tumblr and thought I'd post it as a heads-up. Can't post screencaps as I'm a new user (I'm guessing that's how it works?) but Googling should get you the post.

<strong>hey trans friends</strong>

 <strong>if you need binders/breast forms/makeup/etc but don’t want your parents to know, now is the best time to get it.</strong> 

<strong>you can order whatever it is online and when the package comes in if the ask what it is you can say something like “it’s a secret!” or even just sssh them. they’ll assume it’s a present for whatever holiday you celebrate and probably won’t press the issue.</strong>

The original post seems to date from last year, so this might be old news, but it's apparently making the rounds again this holiday season (with 258K likes/reblogs total as of this writing; I encountered it via an acquaintance who should know better than to promote self-harm among minors through breast-binding).

But how do they pay for the order as people under 18 can't have credit cards. Or is it 16. Sorry not clued up on this.

You can get some cards at fourteen I think ?

They send them free. In plain packaging. It’s a ‘service’ for young impressionable teens with ‘transphobic’ parents. They will also send them to a friends house.
It’s pretty grim. Like drug pushing. First fix free then once your dd has been suitably brainwashed that this is the one true way (until she chops off her breasts) job done.

You don't need a credit card to order online, PayPal or a debit card do the trick just fine.

This really has similarities to pro-Ana (or whatever that's called) and self harm promoting stuff online.

Even older folks who aren't entirely stable can get influenced by this stuff. (My ex got sucked into cutting at the grand age of 30, thanks to online influence).

Pretty sure anybody resourceful.enough would be able to bind in secret if that's what they intended to do.

It makes me.wonder how parents are talking to their kids about puberty an body changes, and when they are starting those talks. Or if some are leaving that to the school.playground and internet???