2022.93.1

Collection type

Object

Description

Chest binder, displayed on a transgender mannequin for the 'Beyond the Binary' exhibition.

Long description

This binder was displayed on a transgender mannequin as part of the Beyond the Binary exhibition at the Pitt Rivers Museum, under the heading "Hello, Nice to Meet You. Who am I?" by Lance Millar. The mannequin was used to describe how a trans person might interact with the world and what living within the LGBTQIA+ community might be like. The binder is yellowish-white, with a criss-cross back strap, with a tag attributing the production company to LesMask who offer a range of varying binder types and models.

Geographical reference

China

Asia > Eastern Asia > China

Person

Maker LesMask

Date / Period

Date made: 2000 - 2021, uncertain

Acquisition information

Donated: 31/10/2022

Materials and processes

Material Polyester Textile Synthetic, Material Metal

Dimensions

Length x Width 41 x 41 mm

Object numbers

Accession number: 2022.93.1

Research and responses

"How do people communicate gender? What is it about your external appearance that deliberately reflects your identity, and what aspects are incidental? Contemporary British society currently codes many items of clothing as female-only, whereas there are a few male-exclusive markers. Clothing is often manufactured by the fashion industry to fit its idealised bodies which conform to highly gendered standards of attractiveness. Do you find that high street clothes don't represent your body type How much harder does it become to find suitable clothes when your gender, age, size, ethnicity, and faith have all been ignored by the fashion industry? Personal gender can rarely be aligned with mass-produced commercial fashion. Often ideas that are not always gendered give people the greatest freedom of expression, such as hair or tattoos." Lance Millar, Community Curator.

The binder is yellowish-white, with a criss-cross back strap, with a tag attributing the production company to LesMask, who offer a range of varying binder types and models.

Responses to the trans mannequin: "It prompted me to think about the clothes I wear that help me feel gender euphoric! I've wanted more 'gender-neutral' underwear but struggled to find what I want online for a reasonable price - I ended up getting plain men's boxers that were on sale at the supermarket and I feel such a difference! As a non-binary person, I know I don't have to present as androgynous but it's something I'd like to do for myself! A binder helps me feel better about my chest." (Unknown writer, Beyond the Binary Exhibition Zine).

"I thought it was interesting to see such a collection and explanation of the things someone might wear and why. " Unknown, Beyond the Binary Zine.

"Having individual pieces donated by different people has created a kind of quilt of different experiences and identities - I spent a long time looking at it. Some things I relate to, like the hair dye and shoes, so it was strange to see it in such a different environment." (Unknown, Beyond the Binary Zine).

"Visual self expression is so important to help you feel more comfortable in yourself. It felt appropriate and relevant to the museum to have a description and pieces to describe specifically a queer person's methods of dress." (Unknown, Beyond the Binary Zine).

"Seeing this was strange, an amalgam of a person with no person inside but I could see myself and many of my friends in them." (Unknow, Beyond the Binary Zine).

Search terms: Clothing, Clothing Accessory, Clothing Underwear, Clothing Protective, Gender and Sexuality, Textile, Body Cloth, Embroidery, Underwear