Thongs

Before we learn about thongs, let's take a moment to learn a little bit about "modesty".

Modesty and demureness is a mode of dress and deportment intended to avoid encouraging sexual attraction in others; actual standards vary widely. In this use, it can be considered inappropriate or immodest to reveal certain parts of the body.  Standards of modesty discourage or forbid exposure of parts of the body, varying between societies, which may include areas of skin, the hair, undergarments, and intimate parts. The standards may also require obscuring the shape of the body or parts of it by wearing non-form-fitting clothing.  Standards of modesty vary by culture or generation and vary depending on who is exposed, which parts of the body are exposed, the duration of the exposure, the context, and other variables.

If you are a modest person, please turn back.  The below discussion is regarding thong underwear and swimwear which can be revealing.

The thong is a type of garment generally worn as either underwear or as swimwear.   Viewed from the front, the thong typically resembles a bikini bottom, but at the back the material is reduced.  The thong underwear or swimwear leaves part or most of the buttocks uncovered.  The back of the garment typically consists of a thin waistband and a thin strip of material, designed to be worn between the buttocks, that connects the middle of the waistband with the bottom front of the garment.

Types of thongs include the traditional thong, the G-string, and the C-string. There are a number of intermediate kinds of thongs between full rear coverage and a string rear. As designs become more risqué there are also types intended to expose genitals as much as they conceal them.

Example of C String Thong

Example of T Back Thong

Example of V String Thong

Thongs are available in a wide assortment of fiber content and fabrication, including silk, cotton, microfiber, satin, nylon, and lycra/spandex.  They are generally produced as a knit fabric to offer a bit of stretch to the fabric, but they can also be made with woven fabrics.

Thong Undgerwear

Undergarments or underwear are items of clothing worn beneath outer clothes, usually in direct contact with the skin, although they may comprise more than a single layer. Undergarments commonly worn by females today include bras and panties, while males often wear briefs, boxer briefs or boxer shorts. Items commonly worn by both sexes include T-shirts, sleeveless shirts (also called singlets or tank tops), bikini underwear, thongs, and G-strings.  A thong underwear is very revealing with little fabric on the back side.  A g-string type of thong consists of a narrow piece of material that covers or holds the genitals, passes between the buttocks, and is attached to a string around the hips. The smallest of the underpants.

Thong Swimwear

Swimwear is clothing designed to be worn by people engaging in a water-based activity or water sports, such as swimming, diving and surfing, or sun-orientated activities, such as sun bathing.  There is a very wide range of styles of modern swimsuits available, which vary as to body coverage and materials. The choice of style may depend on community standards of modesty, as well as current fashions and personal preferences.  In western culture, men's swimsuit styles include boardshorts, jammers, swim trunks, briefs or "speedos", thongs, and g-strings, in order of decreasing lower body coverage. Women's swimsuits are generally described as one-piece, bikinis, or thongs. Swimsuits can be skin-tight or loose-fitting. They are often lined with another layer of fabric if the outer fabric becomes transparent when wet. Swimsuits range from designs that almost completely cover the body to designs that expose almost all of the body. The choice of swimsuit will depend on personal and community standards of modesty and on considerations such as how much or how little sun protection is desired, and prevailing fashions.  The thong style is very revealing on the back side.

Types of thongs:

V-string is a type of G-string, in which the string is connected to the waistband by a triangle that is just above the buttocks. The string connects with the waistband directly to form a "V" shape at back.

C-string is as narrow as a G-string, but without the supporting "string" around the wearer's hips/panty line, leaving just a sideways C shaped piece between the legs. This is held in place firmly by a flexible internal frame. Since there is no material around the waist, the C-string completely eliminates the panty lines which thongs and other underwear create. C-strings are also designed for use as beachwear, which reduces the tan lines that would have been left by the side straps of even a G or V-String.

Cheeky is a slightly more conservative style of thong which covers a little more area, but exposes the bottom part of the buttocks. Some cheekies are used as undergarments while others function as bikini bottoms. Often they have a band at the waist.

Are men's thongs and women's thongs the same?

The most significant difference between thongs designed for men and women is the shape of the front part of the garment. Often, but not always, thongs for men will feature a vertical seam to create shape and space for the male genitalia, and the pouch may be made of stretchy material (usually cotton-Lycra or microfiber) for an ergonomic fit. The equivalent section in women's thongs is normally flat and seamless.

Is a g-string and thong the same thing?

One type of thong is the G-string, the back of which consists only of a (typically elasticized) string.[2] The two terms G-string and thong are often used interchangeably; however, they can refer to distinct pieces of clothing. Thongs come in a variety of styles depending on the thickness, material, or type of the rear portion of fabric and are available for both men and women throughout most of the world.  The G-string style consists of an elastic string (also a narrow piece of cloth, leather, or plastic) that connects the front/pouch and the waistband at back, worn as swimwear or underwear mostly by women, but also by men.

The term thong is also used as a descriptive term in other types of garment, such as a bodysuit, bodystocking, leotard, or one-piece swimsuit in the context "thong backed."

A thong may also be worn for traditional ceremonies or competitions, such as sumo wrestling.  In the past, wrestlers would wear loose loincloths rather than the much stiffer mawashi wrestling belts of today.  a mawashi is the belt (loincloth) that the rikishi (or sumo wrestler) wears during training or in competition. Upper ranked professional wrestlers wear a keshō-mawashi as part of the ring entry ceremony or dohyō-iri.

History of the thong:

The thong, like its probable predecessor the loincloth, is believed to be one of the earliest forms of human clothing and is also thought to have been worn mostly or exclusively by men. It is thought the thong was probably originally developed to protect, support, or hide the male genitals. The loincloth is probably the earliest form of clothing used by mankind, having originated in the warmer climates of sub-Saharan Africa where clothing was first worn nearly 75,000 years ago. Many tribal peoples, such as some of the Khoisan people of southern Africa, wore thongs for many centuries. Much like the Japanese fundoshi, these early garments were made with the male genitalia in mind.

A loincloth is a one-piece garment, sometimes kept in place by a belt. It covers the genitals and, at least partially, the buttocks.

Attitudes toward the wearing of thongs vary geographically and across societies, as is usual with highly revealing clothing.  Prior to its entrance into mainstream fashion, G-strings were primarily worn by exotic dancers. In the modern Western world, G-strings are more commonly marketed towards females but are worn by both sexes. By the late 1980s, the style (for females) had made its way into most of the Western world; thong and G-string underwear became more and more popular through the 1990s due to shows like Baywatch, where numerous females were recorded wearing thong swimsuits. 

Other types of clothing that can be considered to be a type of thong:

A dance belt is a type of thong designed to be used in the same manner as an athletic supporter, but for male dancers (especially in ballet).  Its purpose is to protect and support the dancer during dance activities without being seen through outer garments, such as tights, leotard, gym leggings or shorts. Thongs tend to offer better support for the male anatomy than do other underwear styles (as well as eliminating contact between the genitals and inner thighs) and is one of the reasons why men and boys may choose to wear them.

Fundoshi is the traditional Japanese undergarment for adult males, made from a length of cotton. Before World War II, the fundoshi was the main form of underwear for Japanese adult males. However, it fell out of use quickly after the war with the introduction of new underwear to the Japanese market, such as briefs and trunks. Nowadays, the fundoshi is mainly used not as underwear but as festival (matsuri) clothing at Hadaka Matsuri or, sometimes, as swimwear. There are many other varieties of fundoshi as the variations on the principle of a loincloth are almost infinite. For example, the mokko-fundoshi (literally "earth-basket loincloth" because it looks like the traditional baskets used in construction) is made like the etchyuu-fundoshi but without a front apron; the cloth is secured to the belt to make a bikini effect. The kuro-neko fundoshi (literally "black cat fundoshi") is like the mokko-fundoshi except that the portion that passes from front to back is tailored to create a thong effect.

A jockstrap (also known as a jock, jock strap, strap, supporter, or athletic supporter) is an undergarment designed for supporting the male genitalia during sports or other vigorous physical activity. A jockstrap consists of a waistband (usually elastic) with a support pouch for the genitalia and two elastic straps affixed to the base of the pouch and to the left and right sides of the waistband at the hip. The pouch, in some varieties, may be fitted with a pocket to hold an impact resistant cup to protect the testicles and/or the penis from injury.

Kaupinam is a thong worn in India, by some men as a loincloth or underclothing. It is made up of rectangular strip of cotton cloth which is used to cover the genitals with the help of the strings connected to the four ends of the cloth for binding it around the waist of the wearer. It is used by wrestlers in the game of Kushti or traditional Indian Wrestling in the Akhaada (Wrestling Ring) and also during practice sessions and training.

Maebari (前貼り) are strapless Japanese loincloth garments in the form of an adhesive strip covering the genitalia. Maebari are attached like pasties and because they do not have a clamping frame extension past the perineum (unlike the c-string design), the anus area is usually left exposed. Although conventional use for maebari in Japan is as underwear, in foreign swimwear designs named strapless bikini or no string bikini by various manufacturers, maebari-style bottoms are used with matching pasties (tops).

Thong Shoes Flip-flops are a type of open-toed footwear sandal, typically worn as a form of casual wear. They consist of a flat sole held loosely on the foot by a Y-shaped strap or thong that passes between the first and second toes and around both sides of the foot. The name "flip-flop" originated from the sound made by the slapping of the sole, foot and floor when walking.  Thong sandals have been worn for thousands of years, dating back to pictures of them in ancient Egyptian murals from 4,000 BC. A pair found in Europe was made of papyrus leaves and dated to be approximately 1,500 years old. These early versions of flip-flops were made from a wide variety of materials. Ancient Egyptian sandals were made from papyrus and palm leaves. The Masai of Africa made them out of rawhide. In India, they were made from wood. In China and Japan, rice straw was used. The leaves of the sisal plant were used to make twine for sandals in South America, while the natives of Mexico used the yucca plant. The Ancient Greeks and Romans wore versions of flip-flops as well. In Greek sandals, the toe strap was worn between the first and second toes, while Roman sandals had the strap between the second and third toes. These differ from the sandals worn by the Mesopotamians, with the strap between the third and fourth toes. In India, a related chappal ("toe knob") sandal was common, with no straps but a small knob sitting between the first and second toes. They are known as Padukas.  The modern flip-flop became popular in the United States as soldiers returning from World War II brought Japanese zōri with them.

Learn about boyshorts, panties, and other types of lingerie.

You may want to also visit the underwear glossary to learn about additional styles.

Clothing stores and brands that often feature thong underwear or swimwear:

Victoria's Secret Thong Underwear

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