Tucking
Arranging the genitals so they are not visible through clothing.
Tucking is arranging the genitals so that nothing shows through clothing. It is used by trans women and transfeminine people, and also by drag performers, dancers and anyone else whose clothing requires a flat line.
Like binding it is a presentation practice rather than a medical one, and for many people it is what makes a particular outfit or a particular day possible at all.
There is established guidance on duration and technique, and it comes from trans health services rather than from a glossary. The word is what belongs here; the practical detail belongs with people qualified to give it.
The etiquette is the same as for binding and rests on the same principle: it concerns someone's body and is not a topic anyone owes you.
Tucking is not a medical procedure
It is sometimes described as though it were something clinical, which both misstates what it is and makes it sound more permanent and more consequential than it is.
It is a way of getting dressed. The reason it comes with guidance is duration, not danger of the kind that word implies.
Saying it well
Say this
- Tucking, for this outfit.
- A gaff rather than tape.
- There is proper guidance on how long is sensible.
- Not a conversation I am having.
Not this
- Are you tucking?
- Does that hurt?
- How do you do it?
- Show me
Questions people actually ask
What is tucking?
Arranging the genitals so that they are not visible through clothing.
Who tucks?
Trans women and transfeminine people, and also drag performers, dancers and others.
Is tucking safe?
There is established guidance on duration and technique from trans health services, which is where to look for it.
Is it appropriate to ask someone about tucking?
No. It is a question about their body.