TN-In Florida the young women are wearing really-really small brazil backed string bikinis. Guys nearly all in long baggy shorts-"uniforms", just a few speedos on the native guys.

The problem is that a certain social group started wearing thongs and their adoption of them scared almost everyone else away.

Whilst I think it would be great if more people were into thongs and strings when they're at the beach it really doesn't bother me that much.

I like the fact that I (and my wife) stand out at the beach when we thong, we both love the attention and I'd be lying if I said we didn't.

Most people have too many hang ups or inhibitions (coupled with the fact that the current generation don't seem to take care of themselves as well as they could) and that means that those who like to thong generally will and those who are curious enough to try still will.

Still, I see what you mean, a beach full of people in thongs and strings would be a pretty hot sight to see!

If it were at least fully, undeniably legal everywhere, I'd be happier.

It would be great if thongs were a bit more accepted too, but I'm not holding my breath for that one.
All I know to do is to proudly wear my thong wherever I go, and not be a freak about it in general, so more and more people are exposed to them (pun intended).  I have the tan lines to make sure to advertise the fact when I'm nude, and I don't tend to hide in the locker room, or in my back yard, so I know I'm spreading the word most every day.

There can be several trains of thought about the fashionablility of thongs on the beach.  The first is the physical attributes of the average beach goer which in my observation is usually a little out of shape like most of America.  Just head to the local mall or Wal Mart and just observe people....you will see what I mean  Most people have "body" issues to deal with and wouldn't be caught dead in a thong.  The other is if you want thongs to be more mainstream, start wearing them more at the more populated beaches.  Don't be a show off about it but wear it confidently but not "in your face" kind of way.  I, like modelnude-4u, wear my thong proudly where ever I go so that more people can be exposed to them, and I have the tan lines and don't hike in the locker room either.  After a while, the beach "public" won't make a big deal out of it and will become more accepting of thong swimwear.  Just keep on thonging.     

Chris Yes good points. Too many obese people in the united States, And what is disturbing is the new education laws, under no child left behind, and i mean there big behinds. Physical education in high school os down to 1 credit in four years, and only can do more as a elective, butttttttttttttttttttt the demands in math and other disciplines is requiring them to take classes that are sedintary.

There have been three social problems with men wearing thongs in public:  1)  Some folks in the past have associated men wearing small swimwear with being gay;  2) the "fitness/fatness" dichotomy discussed above; and 3) the idea that a man showing so much skin must be some kind of exhibitionist or pervert.Problem #1 is now pretty much a nonissue.  Five or six years ago Clay Aiken was in the closet, on American Idol kissing Carmen Rasmusen and posing as straight.  Now Adam Lambert has been seen on the web kissing another guy and nobody raises an eyebrow.  If someone thinks I am gay for wearing a speedo, so be it.  I've been seen in public with my drag queen brother in law and I'm fine with that.Problem #2 is a pretty serious problem.  Somehow we have allowed fat to become fashionable.  I cannot fathom how that can be and at the same time I have to wait in line at the gym for a treadmill.  At the same time, though, I have noticed that no one really bats an eye at a fit guy in a speedo.  The same societal atmosphere of tolerance that has allowed the gay community to go mainstream seems to tolerate guys in speedos as long as they don't have flab hanging over the waistband.

Problem #3 seems to be the core of the issue, and the reason why some communities outlaw thongs.  What to do about that, I do not know.   

I fully agree with Chasnsx. Most girls I checked think that thongs are a gay thing. In order to get thongs in the mainstream the thongs need to be endorsed by some celebrities. I suggest Brad Pit (with Angelina telling the world how much she loves Brad wearing the thongs and g-strings), Leonardo Di Caprio, Rambo, all past, current and future James Bond actors, Vin Diesel, etc..
This would hopefully change the mindset of people and we can all wear thongs happily for ever after without having to be apologetic about it.  

I always try and show thongs as perfectly normal swimwear.
As an example I was at the beach last summer at North Carolina's OBX. Thongs and topless are legal in the Cape Hatteras National seashore.  I stopped at one of the first parking areas just into Pea Island preserve. I walked up to the top of the dune to see the beach and saw quite a few people there. Most were on the beach directly in front of the parking area.  In that area I saw a man in a speedo, with his wife and kids. The crowd thinned out quickly to the left and right. I went back to get my towel and water. As I did I passed two girls heading over the dunes. They may have been 25 to 35 years old.  After I got my beach gear, I walked back over the dune and a bit to the right of the crowd. The girls were about 50 feet from the guy wearing a speedo, where most of the crowd was. I walked past them and my phone rang as I was maybe 25 feet further. I sat my stuff down and answered the phone.  I decided to just stay there.  I pulled off my shorts which I had over my thong.  I was on my back for a few minutes, then got up to take a quick dip in the water to cool off.  One of the girls noticed I had on a thong and I saw her nudge the other girl and look my way.  I am not sure exactly what their reaction was. I think they giggled. In any event they definately took notice of my thong.  After a while I saw several dolphins swim by. I stood up to look. Then I decided to call the girls attention to the doplhins.  That gave me the oportunity to strike up a conversation with them for a few minutes.  Then I returned to my sunbathing.   A bit later as I was leaving, I spoke with them again for a few minutes, they told where they were from etc.  Although they may have been surprised at first to see a man in a thong, maybe amused, I think after I had been friendly and talked to them and acted just like I had had on a pair of "board shorts" they probably left with a different attitude toward thongs and prople who wear thongs.  Maybe they will not giggle the next time they see a guy in a thong. 

I agree that you may never making thonging "mainstream" so to speak, other people need to know that for the most part, we are just as "normal" as they are.  When I go walking on the beach, i try to make eye contact with everyone walking the opposite way and try to say "Good morning" or "Good afternoon" and just try to be friendly and just maybe...maybe they might think a little differently about you than before.

I agree with most of what has been written above.  Thonging has to be made main-stream and it has to be represented by people who are confident of what they are wearing.  A thonger who acts too different than a non-thonging beach goer will be noticed.  It really doesn't matter if the thonger is shy and tries to hide his or her thong, or if the thonger is what an earlier poster called "in your face".  Either way, and it doesn't have to be an extreme, will make the thonger stand out, and make others nervous.

Extreme swimwear like some of the Koala swimsuits for men and the "invisible" swimsuits for women are just too extreme for most people to accept for everyday beachwear.  Rightly or wrongly, if a person believes the thonger has gone too far, it will take a long long time to get that person back to a "thongs are okay" position.

I agree that celebrities would help.  My great aunt told me how before the 1930's men were expected to wear swim tops.  No man of class would permit himself to be seen bare-chested.  Then Clark Gable went topless in the movies, and other male stars followed, and within a few years practically no men wore tops.   She also has told me about Mark Spitz who was an olympic swimmer who won a mess of medals in the 1970's.   The popular racing suit back then for men was Speedos, and he appeared on TV and in the newspapers and on magazines in his speedos and nothing else.  Speedos were worn more back then by men, but after Mr. Spits did his thing, more men adopted speedos, perhaps to be associated with the strong and desireable swimming star.

Positive images of people in thongs do not seem to exist.  I truely believe that if movies showed beach scenes with the occational thonger or if TV shows like Dawson's creek or one of the Survivor type shows were to choose a thonging character, and then portray them as normal, it would be good for thongers.  A  serious character who always wears thong swimwear will at first be looked at as unusual, but as time passes, the character will be identified by other things as well.  Has anyone noticed young men's hair styles on TV and in the movies?  A few years back, the buzz cut was in, then guys with shaggier hair started showing up in the background shots, in TV comercials, and so forth.  Then longer hair young men started to get bit parts, then they became supporting actors, then they became the stars.  As their hair became longer, and as youth in the real world started emulating them, they became more and more accepted, both on the screen and in real life.  Today a good portion of the young men on the street under 25 are sporting longer, shaggier hair styles than anytime since the 1970's.

Current perceptions are not good, and both men and women have problems with how others perceive them if they wear a thong.  The men's issues were discussed at length earlier, but women who wear thongs are associated with strippers and/or are thought to be on the "make".  The popularity of men's clubs, the "swimsuit issues" of men's magazines, and even bar scenes on TV shows associate thongs with sex.  Somehow the two must be pulled apart in the minds of the people.

There is another stereo type of thongs on TV, and that is that they are funny.  Any situation with a person in a thong is funny.  On the rare occations when thongs are actually shown on TV and they are not being show as a sexual costume, they usually are depicted as being the silliest things in the world.  In situation comedies, when the script needs to be punched up, a few thong references are added.  Even TV news makes fun of thongers as a class, acting like they are silly.  Want to get attention on national TV?  Just hold up a bank, have a car accident, or do anything else in a thong and you can bet the "talking heads" on the news broadcasts will find a way to talk about YOUR experience, even if 1000 other people had the same thing happen that day.  The fact you were wearing a thong makes it automatically funny.

So, how can we make thongs more acceptable?

1.  Thongers must strive to be as normal as possible.
2.  Keep the thongs respecable.  Some extreme swimwear will hurt everyone's image.
3.  Adoption of thongs by celebrities would help.
4.  Movies and TV could portray thongs as being mainstream.
5.  Recondition people to think of thongs as not being only sexual.
6.  Stop making fun of thongers as a group of people.

Traci

Greetings: Thong Board,



     This is so true especially what ihongit mentioned.  Thongs are either gay, funny or for strippers.  People are so programed nowadays.  This is a result of what I call a mass media education stimulated by American pop culture.  I am reading a book called "The Deliberate Dumbing Down of America" by Charlotte Thomson Iserbyt.  This book pretty much put things in their proper perspective.  People are just dumb and ignorant as f**k.  Sadly I supposed it will take some "entertainer" to convince the masses that "hey dude thongs are kool as f**k."  Do not think individualism will kick in and the masses will think for themselves.  The Last Poets said it best in the 60's concerning this very time.  They stated that people would become "automatic, systematic, genetic, synthetic, remote-controlled commands your soul.  You know ignorance like this tends to make a person view the (Cylons) not only as heroes; but saviours as well.  Like Obi-Wan said "from a certain point of view."

 Hey, hang on here.  A year ago I would have bought this totally.  Everything the previous administration did was to induce us not to think, not to be smart.   But you know what?  That new resident in the White House, not to mention his wife, they're acting as if we Americans are actually intelligent.  Like, he speaks to us in full sentences, sometimes even with dependent clauses!  I think things may be looking up.  What's the opposite of "dumbing down"?

 Yes, people are programmed. But those of us who wear thongs can do something very basic to improve matters, We can stop restricting our thong wear to private pools and sundecks and to the backyard. We must stop being timid and start wearing them on public beaches unless there is an ordinance against them. All of us must start pushing them as a normal part of the beach scene. We must start showing the flag. And we can't be ashamed and afraid to walk about in them. We'll probably always be in the minority, but we can be more of a legitimate presence. I'm Canadian, but I have to say that the U.S. is far worse than we are when it comes to this issue.
We should also be aware of history. I'm only in my twenties, but a little research will reveal that 50 years ago, most males wore skintight swim briefs at the pool or beach. In most cases they weren't as narrow at the side as Speedos but they were still form-fitting and revealing. Most self-respecting girls wouldn't be seen dead with a guy who wore boxers as his swimwear. And of course those godawful dork shorts hadn't yet happened.
Now, males are afraid of wearing even a modestly cut Speedo. A sociologist would have fun figuring out when and why it became unacceptable for males at the beach to give any indication that they actually possessed genitals. Isn't it bizarre?

When thonging at the beach among the regular folks on July 4, I take along my American flag and flagpole and plant it next to my blanket.  Thongers are regular, patriotic folks, too.

BTW, I think "dork shorts" look great, especially riding low with a nice six-pack above.  I wear them as coverups to and from the beach, and take pleasure casually dropping them when I set up for the day.  Wish more guys would, exposing their speedos or whatever, and hate to think society-imposed insecurities hold them back.  I firmly believe in free choice, wear what you like, yet hope my example helps others be more daring, if so inclined. 

One of my favorite images on Flickr is of a bunch of 20-somethings on the beach throwing a football around, all in board shorts but for one well-built guy in a handsome, green and white stripe moderate thong.  Liberated, and totally accepted by his buddies.  I like to imagine their girlfriends just off-camera, his chick wearing the biggest grin because her hunk is the best looking of all, due greatly to his expression of freedom. 

Wish I'd saved that Flickr shot in my favorites, but didn't and can't find it now.  Sorry, it was fantastic, a great example promoting our cause.  

XChip: Thanks for your comments but all the beach photos of the new president tha I've seen have him wearing dork shorts.  I hope he has more freedom at the pool at the White House.

He's dumbing down the work place, that's for sure, but he does wear jammers at the beach on occasion, as in a good shot I saw of him strolling the beach with friends in Hawaii, albeit with a long t-shirt on top.  Jammers look great and are very functional for serious swimmers, even if they cover almost as much as board shorts.  They show one's athletic form, which in my book is an important element in beachwear.  How much skin to show is a personal choice, and let's hope this administragtion upholds that freedom, even while curtailing too many others. 

Several things I've observed in available clothing over the last 15 years or so:  (1) proliferation of oversized, baggy, "slob wear" for both men and women, by that, I mean stuff that's simply meant to be comfortable to wear around the house.  It goes far beyond board shorts and swimwear in general.  Slobwear is not for looking sexy, it's not for looking professional/formal, nor designed to withstand rigorous physical labor.  (2) Far less selection of revealing and/or adventurous clothing for women.  That means, if I go looking for a 14" denim miniskirt for my wife, I'm probably never going to find it.  Same goes for the exposed belly look for women -- it just cannot be found anymore.  Sports bras for jogging and the gym have been replaced by full length tank tops.  For street clothes, a woman in the USA cannot find anything to show off the abs/belly, unless she makes it herself.  Quite a radical change from 15 years ago.  The f___ed up thing is, if I go in the children's department in most large stores, I'd have no trouble locating such clothing for my young daughters.  Thus, we have dork shorts for dad and "junior", baggy sweatpants for mom, but for that young girl under 12, we have plenty of stuff that the sicko pedophiles would love to see her wearing.

A question I posted on yahoo answers a few days ago. Some of the answers are pretty rude!! LOL!

Do women like to see men wear bikini swimwear?
I am a straight, fit, 44 year old man. I wear men's bikini swimwear all the time to tan. It's comfortable and I look good. Women..what do u think?no...Um........ no...........no no no no no no no!!! please no!! I dont care how young or old you are its not sexy!!! wear it in your back yard to tan but in public wear some sexy swim trucks!!no. no no absolutely not.... The fact that you even tan!lolyou mean speedos?!?! yuck!!!!! never!!!!! we don't want to see all of your package!!!!! put that up!!!!No, our first thought is Oh, he must be gay. Our second thought is well if he's not gay, he's in love with himself. Wear the bikini to tan, but modest trunks will get you more admiring glances--from women.If the guy has washboard abs and pec muscles I don't mind at all if he wears a bikini. If the guy has a gut and needs a bra worse than I do, no.No. Major turn off. :\NO A THOUSAND BAJILLION KATRILLION TIMES NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!!! ITs DISGUSTING! No one wants to see that sorry! Swim trunks are so much better no matter what age you are!speedos are the worst thing ever created. :S
if you want to get a tan, please don't wear a speedo in public.
what you could do is use it in your back yard. (that way, even if you're fit, you won't scar anyone for life)
i realize that you probably aren't fat, but its just the idea of a man wearing a speedo is terrifying.Actually, the primary reason for not wearing Speedos is that they are out of fashion. Speedos are more practical, more comfortable and have less drag in the water so they are safer if you get caught in a rip tide at the beach.If that's what you like to wear, go for it. As for me, I prefer men to swim and sun naked.Beverlyewwwwww... please don't do that. guys belong in shorts.no, creeper

If you want a bunch of group-think snap-judgement opinions, Yahoo Answers is a great place to go.    Ducking behind the anonymity of a screen name and getting points for participation leads to a lot of rude comments by bored people.

I'm content to know that there are independent thinking people out there who are not afraid to know what they like and not follow the crowd.  I'll keep wearing what I want and some people will like it and some people won't...what will be will be, right?

On Saturday morning I took the family for an early morning bike ride on a popular dedicated bike trail.  I wore my Speedo tri-shorts which are like a speedo (no center front seam) with mid-thigh legs added and light cycling padding inside.  Great for the hot Florida weather.   As we were preparing to get on the trail a few women in their late 30's pulled up with a pickup truck full of kids and bikes.  This one woman had her face literally plastered to the passenger side window of the truck looking at what I thought must have been something interesting behind me.   As we rode off I heard her say to her friend quite loudly, "I LOVE those little shorts, I need to find some of those for my husband."    It was at this point I realized she was talking about me.     We saw her and her group again on the way back and she waved excitedly and made eye contact and looked me over as I sped by.  My wife thought it was funny that this crazy lady was being so enthusiastic.  

Anyway, don't let the naysayers get you down, wear what works for you, and be proud!

- FL Naked Guy

The vast majority of people in the general forums on Yahoo answers are young teens or want to be teens who's life is a keyboard. Their opinion should not matter to you.  You are unlikely to see any of these indoor kids on the beach, most never get further than home than their local 7-11.

JM...you are spot on!!

 What is interesting is that the same women who responded to your question with such negative comments would have had to comment in the same way if Michael Phelps had happened to walk by them at the local pool. Or anyone from a local swim team for that matter.

Is is the overt nature of seeing the male "form" that is so disgusting? Oh my god...you can see his "thingy!"

Can you imagine any self respecting man saying...."OH MY GOD! I'm disgusted! I can see the faint bulge of her nipples and I dare say....I can even see the slight outline of her clitoris!" How dare she offend me like that!?

I know this is a unsual thought...but do you suppose that women just aren't being honest when they answer the question? Sure, they don't want to see some over-weight slob walking around in a speedo....but let a good looking guy with a good body walk by and see if their pupils dialate.

It's a great reflex action in the form of a vocal response..."OH NO....I dont' like men in speedos!"...but if it's the right guy..well...that's different.

If an unattractive woman walks by in a thong, I'll look the other way.  If asked, would I condemn women for wearing thongs?  Hardly.  Just hope the next one I see is drop dead gorgeous.  Probably the same for women seeing men in speedos and thongs, as Joseph40 says.  Ignore the teeny boppers' mindless group think, unless you somehow crave their approval.  Just know they're being somewhat honest if you're out of shape and look gross.  But if you're a stud, know that their squeals are closer to backhanded expressions of delight.  Since most of us males are somewhere in between, we can safely ignore them.    

Right on.

There has been a fundamental shift in social behaviors of youth within just the past 10 years.  A good example is that I don't see any more "cruising", and by that, I don't mean what Larry Craig or George Michael does in airport mensrooms, I mean, actual youths hanging around popular areas and socializing, showing off sporty vehicles, etc.  At 37 years old, it's not something I'm ever going to miss, but I do find myself wondering about what has replaced it.  I think the answer will probably be found in cell phones and other real-time electronic methods of communication.  During my youth, this sort of thing (only slow internet at the time) was simply considered geeky, something you do for school or when you don't have a date.  I suppose that for some, we have now reached a point where one's avatar on a chat room is more what they consider as self than what they see in the mirror.  This would certainly explain the trend towards less adventurous clothing styles and poorer physiques of today's youth.  I mean, who needs to look good, when all one has to do is go download a cool avatar.

 I read a good article on that basic thing the other day, stating that Facebook, Youtube, etc are replacing conspicuous consumption with with an electronic version.   You don't have to go out and buy a bunch of stuff to show off now, you just need to post something new and exciting on you Facebook page, etc.  You can certainly see the attention hogs on their, participating in every survey, every game, updating stuff 20 times a day.  They need to be noticed in some way.  Of course, as I'm typing this, I'm wondering just where wearing a thong fits into that pattern.  The need to be noticed, and perhaps even accepted is a pretty common need indeed. 

I don't know that we'll ever get thongs to be fully accepted by society at this point, but a bit more tolerated would be wonderful.  As long as we wear our thongs proudly, but be "normal" while doing it, and respectful of the situation when & where we wear them, we're doing most everything we can do.

 Maybe starting a "Me in my thong" group, with the idea that you had to have a picture of yourself in your thong on your page to be a member.

JM_Runs....count me in on the "me in my thong" group.  Sounds like a great idea!!

Not only would I love to see it become more popular here in the US but I would love to see the same freedoms expanded to be seen acceptable to everyone like Tweens (in between kids and teens) (7-12)


So you can count me in

Right, FamBotms!  Americans have some strange ideas about thongs and children; most of which are probably casused by somehow equating thongs to sex or something like that.  I agree that we face a long and difficult road.  I like to think that the more we wear our thongs in public the more we are doing some little bit to help.

People associate speedos with old men with  beer bellys wearing them. I think we should start getting fit and associate thongs with fit and sexy bodies.

I thought the Lifesaver and competitive swimmer/triathelete images did do that.
But alas, Lifesavers in Australia have changed their uniforms to shorts, not the traditional Speedo, and swimmers' suits are now skin-tight bib-and-brace overalls!
The only way is to wear them

 I don't think we'll ever get thongs accepted into the mainstream by asserting that there's nothing sexual about thongs; by asserting that they're just another kind of swimwear and that everyone should just get over the sexual connotation of it.

By denying the sexual aspect, we are simply trying to ignore the elephant in the room. And the longer we try to ignore it, the bigger the elephant gets. The skimpier a swimsuit gets, the more flesh is exposed, and (as far as the general public is concerned) the more erotic it is. The point to understand here is this: nudity is not necessarily sexual, but NEAR-nudity can be. Thongs (and other very skimpy swimsuits) have a way of emphasizing exactly what they are concealing - while they're decent, they're sexy.

In my view, if we want thongs to be accepted, we have to accept that they're sexy, and that THAT'S OKAY. Nobody's trying to be provocative or to invite sexual advances or (god forbid) rape. But we should accept that feeling sexy and looking sexy is all right. When you're wearing a thong, you're just, you know, sexy. End of story. It does not mean you're inviting people to come on to you. It does not mean that people should think that a thong wearer wants sex. It is possible to want to feel and look sexy without wanting undue attention from strangers.

A fashion blog on NYMag.com decries the 'terrible' state of affairs with 'pop stars' who only wear thongs !

http://nymag.com/thecut/2013/10/stars-only-wear-thongs-now-pantsless-not-enough.html

Merely foregoing pants is no longer surprising. (It's the norm for stagewear; even the hosts of award shows do it.) To draw attention, today's pop stars must fully expose their butt cheeks. Once the cheeks are out, they always seem to end up bending over and posing on all fours, leaving onlookers a mere G-string away from proctology.

The author goes further claiming thongs and g-strings cause them to focus on the ass-crack, with more talk of visual protology. I have heard of the "what about the children" worries but the visual proctology scare is new to me and seems overly paranoid.

Miley's thong-style leotard (leo-thong? thong-o-tard? banana-sling-with-sleeves?) was string-shaped in the back and front. Her Terry Richardson photo shoot took advantage of both.

The author, who I suspect could never wear a thong in public, goes on to say: And so it has come to this: 

Thongs are the new hot pants. Luckily, there is really no chance that this one trickles down to the masses. We have subways to sit on, public decency statutes to follow, and parent-teacher conferences to attend. Lesser pop stars, however, are totally screwed if they want sexual attention but have more than an ounce of cellulite.

While pointing out how thongs cause the author to focus on but cracks, the author titillates users with lots of hot photos of 'pop stars' in thongs with pictures like this:
 http://pixel.nymag.com/imgs/fashion/daily/2013/10/04/04-celebrity-thongs-3.o.jpg/a_3x-horizontal.jpg
and lots of links to the orgnal source of the author's fascination like this one:
http://www.celebuzz.com/2013-07-01/lady-gaga-flashes-thong-in-fishnet-dress/.

Just how old do you have to be to call young female singers 'pop stars' ?  I thaught that term went out of use some time after the Beatles became main stream. 

SO - Go to the orignal link above and post comments about how you think thongs in public are fine, and you are SO SO GLAD the 'pop stars' are leading the way so that more ordenary people will feel comfortable wearing them, and you are looking forward to all the pretty girls wearing them next summer on the beach.

The more the public display of thongs becomes a young women's tool to drive her parents mad the more we are going to see them.  Tattoos, long hair, short hair, long skirts, short skirts, ripped jeans, purple eye liner, emo, goth, etc - all old school.  Heck half their dads are now sporting tattoos.  But public thongs, that could just be the ticket.

Here we are, we have been saying for years that "If only superstars were wearing thongs others would follow".  Time to be good netizens and post all over the web your ardent support for this 'alarming' trend.  :)

It is interesting to examine Miley's behaviour. In her publicity shots or attending a big event she will be wearing something brief to stand out. Let's face it, she was a half reasonable teen actor / singer, but there's not enough talent there to support a life long career. She has to do something to create attention. Now, take a look at the paparazzi photos taken of her at the beach, presumably when she is less concerned about trying to create an image. Is she topless? No. In a thong? No. In every one I've seen she's wearing a fairly conservative bikini.

What is this telling other young women? Probably that it is okay to show skin when there are $$$ involved, but at the beach they must conform to what everybody else is wearing. Miley is a real disappointment as far as bringing thong swimsuits back.

I would disagree with your analysis. Stars often wear very concealing clothing when out in public so they don't get mobbed by people coming up and asking to take a picture with them or provide an autograph.  Once one or two people start it quickly turns into a mob.

For example Nick Nolte would ride over to our local gym on a nondescript bicycle in a big floppy hat and what we all agreed looked like a set of striped pajamas. Most people respected his privicy and let him blend into the background. He could only do that for about a year because the word started to get around.

I have known other famous people, who quite enjoy brief swimsuits when out on the yacht, or even running around nude.  Yet when they step ashore they cover up, put on hat, sunglasses and nondescript outfits so as to blend into the background and not be noticed. The art is to be natural and not over the top with huge Hollywood sun-glass and ridiculously large hats so everyone goes, "That must be someone famous under that disguise. 

A number of famous people stay in shape on road bikes because the standard roadies uniform of cycle shorts, bright jersey, crash lid and sun-glasses makes personal identification almost impossible.

While their public personality can set a trend, they may want to have a 'private' private life.  You first knew her has "Hannah Montana" and now as "Miley Ray Cyrus" but do you know who "Destiny Hope" is?

Has Farrokh Bulsara's private life had a big influence on you? 

Your wish that a star take their public persona and be that way 24x7 is a little demanding. Some are, some are not.
In your mind Sandra Bullock may be the commander of a future spacecraft, but in reality she is a mother with kids trying to lead a normal life.

People like you who are, in your words "examining" and dissecting "Miley's behaviour" are exactly the reason public people often wear a disguise, use another name and try their best to blend into the background when not working. Give them a break and if you think you recognize them give them sea-room.

In their public performances and appearances they have set the tone. Now it is up to you and your minions to put on your thongs and publicly carry the flag.

Reality Star Wore a Thong Bikini on Vacation

http://www.wetpaint.com/celebrity/gallery/2013-10-04-coco-austin-thong-bikini-photos

 Wow, people are so mean.  I think she looks great.  I think it is more so they are either jealous of her figure, or her confidence to wear that suit.  Good for her for having the guts, I can't be easy while living under a microscope.

Hey JM, you’re the one who’s always saying the best way to encourage thong wearing is to be seen just behaving normally while wearing one, something I have always agreed with. Miley does not do this, hence by your criteria she is not a great help in bringing back thong swimsuits into popular culture. What I suggest would be far more positive would be for a talented, but less suggestive, actress, singer or sportswoman being photographed on the beach having fun, wearing a thong and not worrying about it.

As far as "examining and dissecting Miley's behaviour", I only brought this up because you mentioned her in your post and she is rather topical at the moment. I didn’t suggest she, or any other actor, should carry their on stage persona off stage. This would be ridiculous. Other than commenting here on their possible affect on thong wearing, I don’t care one iota what celebrities do on or off stage. And I hardly think my comments here are going to cause any celebrity to wear a disguise. If I had that sort of influence I would not be wasting it on celebrities.

Finally, I can't speak for my "minions", but if you regularly follow my posts, you would realise that I have, perhaps unwittingly, been "publicly carrying the flag" at Australian beaches and more recently council and resort pools, for about 40 years.

Grabeach, my post was not men't to be a personal attack on you, I am sorry you are so defensive, maybe it came off the wrong way. I agree, when we thonging publicly and just behave it normally helps tremendously.

I am just not a fan of dissecting the off screen behavior of stars, and criticizing them for not being the same people off screen as on screen. It would not be called an act if there was not some acting.

I think you are right, having recognizable people thonging publicly on beaches helps.  But so does recognizable stars thonging on stage. While they may not thong everywhere, confidently thonging in front of thousands when every eye is on you takes true courage. I take my hat off to them.

Lots of people thong secretly, under their cloths, in their shuttered back yards, on private yachts, or sometimes daringly on the far end of an unpopular almost deserted beach.  It takes a lot more courage to publicly thong on stage with millions watching and say, "So what? I like it! Live with it."  

Miley and other recent female celebrities who have thonged on stage, or on the red carpet, or other public events help erase the stigma of thongs. They make thongs new and give them a trendy edge.  If they wear them on stage, in and in publicly shots that is there contribution to saying thongs do not need to be hidden.

As I said above, it is very difficult for very famous people to have private lives, so when out in public they try to merge into the background so people don't look and don't mob them. This is quite understandable. Asking them to wear a thong for an afternoon on Miami beach is ridiculous, because Miley would be mobbed in seconds. Maybe not by you personally, but by all the other people who wanted to photograph them or interact with them. All the people who fail to realize what they do off screen and off camera is their personal private lives, what little they get.

You don't know what they wear when at private pools or exclusive hotels where the paparazzi is kept out, but a lack of tan lines suggests these  modern young women, with lots of fans, are probably more daring than you make out. I think their influence on young women can't be understated.

The recent proliferation of superstars in thongs seems to be giving more women permission to thong on the beach.  I guess least half of the cute young women I have seen in the last few months, the trend setters, are wearing thongs or small backed bikinis worn so high they might as well be wearing thongs. (Plausible deniability, "No mother, I was not wearing a thong, my bikini was just riding high.").  Maybe it is just because this is the season for Europeans and South Americans on my beach, but I hope the trend continues through Christmas and Spring Break when the North Americans invade.

P.S.  I am sort of looking forward to the Miley Syrus clothing and swimsuit line.

No problems JM, though when a response to my post includes "People like you ....." and "You and your minions .....", I am naturally going to take it personally! Brings to mind some previous discussion we had on the problem of the written word not necessarily accuratrely reflecting someones thoughts.

Back to business. I can't argue with most of what you say, but I suspect that the improvements in spray tanning means that the absence of tan lines doesn't count for much these days.

I'm also pleased to say that the average Aussie (as opposed to our over the top media), while as silly as the rest of the world at a performance or promotion, seems more laid back when running into a celebrity in private life. I once came out of the surf at Bondi and noticed a topless Kylie Minogue and male friend sunning close to where I had left my towel. Other than a few not that easy to hear "Yea, that's Kylie" and "I wonder who the guy is", everybody left them alone. As they should.

I don't know why Americans are so star struck.  They take buss tours to see the outside of the houses where stars live. I can't think of a worse way to spend my time when on vacation. They pay ridiculous prices for a pair of ruby colored shoes worn by a star many years ago. When an identifiable star is sighted they rush over like teen girls at a Justin Bieber concert. On that subject, you have NO idea just how insane a stadium full of teen Bieber fans can be, it is truly a frightening force of nature.

Possibly because in many US homes the TV is a member of the family, and maybe the most important member in the living room. Often demonstrated by others saying be quiet the TV is talking. So the people on the TV are personal friends and acquaintances, but any chance to personally interact, or say "I love you" overrides all sense of common courtesy and personal privacy. 

For the most part the casual nonchalance around stars you describe only exists in exclusive walled retreats like upper end hotels and private venues where the staff are trained to keep their distance and keep the general public out. So for the most part mega stars slip of to desecrate exclusive resorts, islands or yachts, or if bumming it with the rest of us try to blend into the background.

".... you have NO idea just how insane a stadium full of teen Bieber fans can be ...."

Fortunately I never had to find out. Thank goodness my daughter, even as an early teen, was more into Cold Play and Pink. Taking her to these concerts was no real chore.

PS: Saw the ruby slippers at the Smithsonian. For a while I couldn't figure out how someone paid a fortune for them at auction. Should have realised there were several pair made for the film.

 The answer is simple. All of us should make a point of wearing thongs on the beach — not in the privacy of our back yard or sundeck, not at somebody's private pool, not at an empty beach where we can be assured that no one else will be around.
Thong sightings are on the decline even in places like Fort Lauderdale and South Beach. That's because too many of us are too cowardly to wear them in public. But thongs will never regain the degree of legitimacy they were starting to enjoy a decade ago if we don't wear them in public on beaches which traditionally accept them. This isn't rocket science, guys. It's common sense

 @ thongboy052000 is spot on - I think wearing a 'reasonable' thong on regular beaches would go a long way to shifting the balance towards more acceptance.
The definition of 'reasonable' would to me be: as thin as you like to the rear and something that covers all of the 'bits' without being overtly see through or bulging at the front.   
Something like this: http://www.kleim.nl/shop/strings-tanga-s/134-string-47300.html 
which actually looks like this on: http://www.flickr.com/photos/32839142@N06/4000113103/in/photolist-76tCgi-76xxj1-76xxtw-76xxzG  
or this http://www.flickr.com/photos/32839142@N06/4000877798/in/photolist-76tCgi-76xxj1-76xxtw-76xxzG/
No it isn't me - but  have one in white that I have worn on regular beaches in europe.

 I agree with the above statements and suggestions. I would also the following. People like to feel comfortable. If thong wearers are clustered in an area, other people would feel more secure wearing their thong. If thong wearers are isolated, people will lake the courage to wear theirs. Start in a cluster and move outward as more feel comfortable in wearing their thong to the beachGenerally speaking, people like being part of a crowd ... be it those wearing board shorts, speedos, or thongs.Need to build up this crowd of thongers

 OK so a new year's resolution is to start a group who goes to the same beach each weekend in our thongs and get people interested in laying out in our thongs!  Beach location suggestions please?  This way our fellow out of town friends will know where we all hang out at.  ;)

 Chicago = Osterman Beach    Montrose Beach