Sims 4 binder doesn't bind
The base game binder that was added last year isn't really a binder.
First and foremost, the "binder" doesn't even bind (I've included pictures of my sim in the base game "binder" compared to a normal base game shirt as well as a third image with my sim wearing pigeonhome's functional binder cc which actually flattens the chest for reference). I don't know if the expectation was that players would just make a character with a flat chest and then add the binder as if it was the binder flattening their chest, but if that was the intended use it's a major failing at inclusion. Making a padded tank top and naming it "binder" isn't adding binders to the game and isn't including trans people. It's a nice acknowledgment of our existence but it doesn't actually do anything to include us or improve the experience of trans players and players creating trans sims. For example, I am genderfluid and some days want to bind my chest while other days I don't, and there are certain outfits I prefer with a binder and some I prefer without. The current existing base game binder doesn't provide any way to simulate this.
Also, the "binder" is in the shirt category. Binders aren't shirts, they're usually worn underneath another top. It would make much more sense for binders to be found under another category (such as medical wearables) so that they could be worn under clothes. The "binder" is also tagged as sleepwear which it really shouldn't be as it is highly ill-advised and dangerous to sleep in a binder; it's a smaller thing, but still something I feel is worth noting.
The Sims 4 has made HUGE improvements to inclusion especially in the past few years, but this additional just falls flat. And while I may be able to download a brilliant cc binder, not everyone can. It was actually a conversation with a friend of mine who plays on console that prompted me to post this, because inclusivity shouldn't have to be locked behind custom content which an entire group of the player-base can't have. I really hope at some point the binder will be revised to actually function more appropriately so that sims can have more diverse experiences and simmers can have more freedom with creating our sims and playing out a larger range of experiences.
