How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture

Title: How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture
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Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture

Date Posted：12/20/2013 03:12:19Copy HTML

 Sure would be nice to start something in the SF Bay Area...

Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture

Date Posted：12/20/2013 04:08:28Copy HTML

I agree with thongboy.  We thongers need to not hide out when thonging.  Being visible to the public will allow people the chance to get used to seeing others in thongs.  If we hide out then nobody will ever see us and there will not be even a chance of acceptance.  Being seen in public bears the risk that some may laugh or mock.  But overall I believe it does more harm than good towards thong acceptance.  And even though a few will laugh or mock or make rude comments most people do not act in such a manner regardless of whether they disagree or not.  For me the best guide of acceptance is when I am laying out at the beach where anyone can see me and a group of people set up near me and go about their business as usual.  That is one of the greatest things for me to experience while thonging.  I do not need or expect any positive comments but their going about business as usual says a lot in a non-verbal communication.

Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture

Date Posted：12/20/2013 12:07:26Copy HTML

Good on you in the US if you can get a group to go to the beach with.  Over the pond in Europe that's less likely to happen so it's more a case of just getting on with it and wearing thongs wherever and whenever we can.  Most of Europe seems to have a different attitude to what I perceive is the case in US - which seems to range from prudish to exhibitionist.  Much of Europe is tolerant of nudity and smaller swimwear.   My OH doesn't like thongs (she finds them either funny or freaky), but thankfully there are so many places I can go nude which she is comfortable with, so I don't worry too much.  We tend to set up away from the main crowd as we like the peace and quiet.  Plenty of people walk by and that's fine.  I generally avoid the 'official' nude beach zone and take a view on what I can reasonably get away with.  Sometimes I will be the first one nude and she isn't too comfortable with that, but then relaxes when she finds others set up nude in the vicinity.  As a corollary, being the first to set up in a thong will most likely lead to others ditching the board shorts and bikini tops etc.  Many people want some kind of perceived permission and would love to wear less at the beach, given the chance.  

Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture

Date Posted：12/21/2013 06:41:02Copy HTML

 I have to say that i agree with the above statements. if we remain isolate, then thongs either as a swim or underwear will remain something isolate and "bad" and " weird" style of clothing. if we all just wear our thongs like a normal choice of swimwear or underwear , then the rest will facing us and our choice just like that.
  From my personal experience, well yesterday i went to my new gym. i idin't know nobody and i didn't know the enviroment and attitudes etc. but i was determined not to be afraid and be "brave", so after my arrival at the locker room i strip off my pants, while i was having a relaxing talk with some others fellows, totally unknown to me. so just simple i was strip off my pants and i continue taliking with them as i was only with my black - consernative i have to say- thong. nobody said nothing, they just continue to talk.
   on the beach, the past summer i was openly thonging at a very popular beach, in Cyrpus, nobody said nothing. the same happened to Crete, where i wore mt blue thonh swim at the baech in front of a very big and expensive hotel.
  so, if we wearing our thongs and just acting like nothing special is going on, then we can 1) receive the same attitude from the others 2) convert and encourage others to thong.

Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture

Date Posted：12/21/2013 03:34:36Copy HTML

 It's great to find support for my comments. But I know it will be an uphill battle. After all this is a culture where most males are terrified even of wearing a Speedo in public.

Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture

Date Posted：12/21/2013 04:33:53Copy HTML

I honestly don't think it's ever going to happen. I don't care much for popular culture anyway and am not looking for acceptance from the masses. My take on thonging is always that I'll thong wherever I feel comfortable doing so, and sometimes pushing my own comfort level a bit. I'm definitely not one of those board members who would wear a thong to a water park, but I do sport them on crowded public beaches, and sometimes hotel pools, although prefer more secluded, quiet environments. I just try and stay in the best shape I can, despite my love of food and cocktails, so when I do strip down to a thong, I feel good about MYSELF and confident in my choice of skimpy swimwear. It's about how YOU feel, not what others think. Everyone is different and if you're not hurting others and you love all God's creatures and are respectful and kind, those are the core traits that need to permeate popular culture. 

Soapbox Sermon Complete. 

Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture

Date Posted：12/21/2013 10:53:17Copy HTML

 I don't see it happening any time soon.  I think the pop culture of thongs as "pseudo" mainstream for men (i.e. back in the early 90's) was an offshoot of the thong coming into mainstream in the press with women leading the way.  It was an age of tighter clothing and the spillover of the bodybuilding culture of the late 80's (spandex shorts, string tanks and speedo swimsuits).  As womens whaletails were garnering newspaper and magazine coverage, guys got a little bit of a boost in a whats good for the goose is good for the gander way.  Now that thongs are officially mainstream for women (as underwear), and accepted (albeit still considered somewhat risqué) as swimwear, men fall into the fringe element.  We may get a boost from some of the trends towards shorter swim trunks, and even "James bond" style squarecuts....but I don't think the man thong is making a comeback any time soon

Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture

Date Posted：12/22/2013 01:28:48Copy HTML

TOO LATE I THINK...GUYS & DOLLS ~ ~ ~ the youngsters, 8'ish or so were observed wearing mid thigh "Stanfield" type underwear as they changed back into their street clothes at my local pool recently. ~ ~ ~ Colour me an anachronism... a Canadian one at that... One who wears brief  Speedos for lap swimming and thongs for beachwear... but maybe we can still hold onto "THE FAINT HOPE CLAUSE" that is part of every convicted criminals dream, to apply for early release~ ~ ~for having committed a "Fashion Faux Pas" if we are to be judged by today's youth when they grow up to hold the gavel and shake it at you. ~ ~ ~I'm Sorry, I know I'm not very optimistic in what is usually considered this "Season of Hope and Goodwill"....

Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture

Date Posted：12/22/2013 09:02:25Copy HTML

Look for megatrends that favor outdoor health and especially fitness (where participants, i.e., bodybuilders, wear less clothes). When that happens someone in retail will try to exploit it with more spandex, form fitting clothing including swimwear. The current urban trend is a disaster for the thong wearers. Inner city is not at the beach. Does your gym play R&B/ Hip-Hop or Urban top 40? Not a good sign nor are tattooed gym members with piercings. I think thong popularity is at a very low ebb but not there indefinitely.  

Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture

Date Posted：12/24/2013 07:54:25Copy HTML

 I cant say that I would bother worrying about a "popular resurgence" of thong bikinis or mens underwear.  There are a few types of acceptance.  One kind accepts things because its what is cool now, and conformity squashes any kind of personal objection.  The other kind accepts things because they see no real objection to it.  I don't know about you, but I would prefer to see thongs be accepted by our western culture, because nobody really has many objections to them.  You can see how achieving these two types of acceptances would necessitate two very different approaches.  One would require a massive cultural push, and the other simply requires that we not be assholes while wearing our thongs.Or so I figure. 

Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture

Date Posted：12/25/2013 09:42:19Copy HTML

nicsthong's is one of the most insightful posts I've come across.

Just my character, but I often find myself questioning things that are really popular eg. so-called reality TV, adulation of sporting / entertainment personalities and on a more serious note our obsession with alcohol, especially amongst our underage and youths. But as nicsthong says, it's cool and you have to conform. It is very difficult for many to survive socially if they don't. 

In Australia, while hardly anybody wears thong swimwear, I'd guess somewhere over 95% either don't mind, don't care or aren't bothered to the extent that they'll complain about it if I do. As the other couple of percent are going to have a winge no matter how popular or unpopular thongs become, about the only thing I'd really like to see change is for a few more of the pool managers to have the backbone to stand up to this tiny, but unfortunately vocal, intolerant minority. I can't agree more that the first step in achieving this is, "that we not be assholes while wearing our thongs".

While I think thong swimwear to be aesthically pleasing and also find satisfaction in observing others having the confidence to go against a popular trend, what others wear isn't going to affect my enjoyment of my time at the beach or pool. Notwithstanding, I do sometimes wonder what my reaction would be if almost everybody started wearing thongs!

Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture

Date Posted：10/09/2014 04:24:46Copy HTML

I think thongers being very public, very visible and very normal helps the cause.  

I recently read a quote that made me think of this:  "One of the greatest influences on any culture is the "normative power of the actual" (a phrase I once heard from the late Yale Law Professor Charles L. Black, Jr.)"

That he is saying, in an obtuse way, is people get adapted to what they see regularly and start to accept that as normal.  If every time they go to the beach on a windy day they see a couple of people kite-boarding, they will consider that a normal activity, even though only a very few actually do it.  Same with thongers. 

Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture

Date Posted：10/09/2014 08:39:33Copy HTML

As for Mr. Blacks theory i believe in it but practically it may not work 100% of the time. 
Whenever you fit an image of something in your mind it's difficult to ignore. Yet when seeing one or group of same regular males wearing thongs upon the beach some believe it's a clique or tight knit group community, for better word acception to the norm or rule. In many respects adults have clear defined rules or assumtions to what we all must wear. 
If an adult sees a male thonger they quickly think stripper. Why else motivates a male to wear a thong? While a female thonger is usually defined as appropiate for specific locations. Many people expect woman to wear skimpy bottoms either in Miami or Rio beach's. While still if a male don's wearing a thong it is still considered unique beach wear even at the locations I mentioned earlier. 
So end result no matter how many times you wear a thong some people will try to protest banning your thong attire. 
While saying all that it in small measurable steps you can be only male in a thong. It gives other males to wear smaller brief like swimwear only believing that isn't as severe then a thong. In tiny steps we as thongers lowered the bar for beach fashion from baggy long shorts to briefs. Yet being a thonger will be extreme attire never seeing it being normal beach clothing. 

Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture

Date Posted：10/10/2014 01:26:35Copy HTML

 Easiest way to gain acceptance in a thong: look sexy as all hell in it.  Whenever I'm around 10% bodyfat or less I get compliments whether I'm wears shorts, trunks, briefs or a thong at the beach.  When you look good people don't care what you wear, they just wanna see.

Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture

Date Posted：10/10/2014 10:36:01Copy HTML

Agree that if people see more of something, then that becomes part of the norm, but not necessarily desirable.  
My kids have seen nude people, who were mostly old and overweight, so their view of nude beaches is basically 'old and fat' and not something to even consider - they tolerate it and that's about it.  
Contrast that with my OH recently seeing lots more females of all ages wearing cheeky and thong bikinis which has moved her towards wanting to wear those too (good news for me..).
Acting normally on a beach - not hiding away behind rocks or dunes, and doing what everybody else does, will really help with acceptance.  Being in reasonable shape and wearing something that is well made and looks like it fits is another plus.

 

Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture

Date Posted：10/10/2014 08:12:55Copy HTML

 I suggest a charity campaign where thongs with a logo of support for the campaign would be distributed to donors and they would be encouraged to wear it to disclose the same.

Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture

Date Posted：10/10/2014 10:52:18Copy HTML

 I know that I am always throwing cold water on this 'social-thong-acceptance' wet-dream agenda......if we lived in a perfect world - which only exists at c/o venues - I would beat the drum on the bandwagon........as a previous poster commented, 'be in shape and people will look'........in a nutshell, that is the upside..........the downside of 'social-thong-acceptance' is having to deal with the walmart-legging-stereotypes........that said, I am all for being happy with thonging remaining a cult.........so what, you can't do it everywhere and anywhere.........you already cannot do anything, everywhere, and - within reason - life is better that way............personally, I would love to show it everywhere and anywhere, but call me a prejudice snob, I am not so cool about just anyone and everyone showing it everywhere and anywhere..........that kinda stuff just don't fly..........I'm more of a big-picture, majority rule type........beat me up for that and you will lose.........

Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture

Date Posted：10/12/2014 09:09:27Copy HTML

All sports should be held in Rio de Janeiro. During the last world cup, they showed beautiful women in thongs in the beaches in Rio, I think this has made an impact on women switching to smaller rio-type bottoms. Hopefully the 2016 Olympics in Rio would promote more people switching to thongs and g-strings.

Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture

Date Posted：10/14/2014 09:47:33Copy HTML

 Thongs, at the peak of their popularity, were never 'the norm'. At best they accounted for around 15% of the market, in female underwear. Less so for swimwear. Less again for mens versions (4% if market studies from the time are accurate).
I cannot ever see them being more than a recurring trend, but with each cycle, will gain more acceptance as just another choice, and nothing to be feared.
Meanwhile I will wear them every day, and just hope I can always buy more :)

Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture

Date Posted：11/13/2014 05:26:51Copy HTML

Trawling through Youtube recently, came across full version of an 1984 French film - L'année des méduses - alas it has been pulled down already, presumably due to copyright.  I think it is set in south of France and features a girl who spends almost half the film on the beach with just bikini bottoms on - and for some reason I didn't follow the plot......... perhaps someone will enlighten me?  

Anyway, I think the backdrop showing people on the beach was about the norm for the time - that was short shorts and speedo type briefs on men and a mix of bikinis, topless and one pieces for the girls.  Obviously no dork shorts with saggy underwear and only the occasional thong, tanga or smaller bikini on guys.  Some fairly skimpy bottoms on girls but no real thongs or G's.  

Overall, it all looked fairly relaxed, which is how I remembered it - but, what it did remind me, was that skimpy bikini swimwear on men was not as common as I had wanted to think it was and thongs were fairly rare. 

That's a long way of saying I agree with Thongmad that thongs have never been and never will be mainstream, esp for the guys.  Thankfully the current run on cheeky bottoms for girls is at least giving some entertainment.   

Finally, for anyone that has access to the film, can you tell me if the guy in the background about 39 minutes in is wearing a string or a tanga?

Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture

Date Posted：11/13/2014 10:03:32Copy HTML

From Wikepedia: "Chris, a sexy teenager who appears mostly bare-breasted on the French Riviera, has a crush on Romain, her mother's lover. In reaction to her inability to attract his attention, she experiments with other risque affairs."

Viewing the sections of the movie that are available, it reminds me of South Bondi in the mid 70s when topless was officially declared legal there. Brief bikini bottoms sitting low on the hips, but no thongs. Eventually the more daring women tended to roll there bikini bottoms down from the top, rather than these days when it is up from the bottom, culminating in pure g-strings. Thongs didn't exist for quite a while. Most people only knew thongs as the things you wore on your feet.

Speedos were very popular with Aussie guys, after all it is our brand. Probably copying the girls, a small number of guys would also roll down their Speedos. An even smaller number then wore g-strings. I was one of the first, maybe even the first. It was a case of, "If she can then I can."

Maybe because I was so involved with emergence of the 'tanning your bum' culture back in the 70s and early 80s, I am fascinated to see how far the latest trend to briefer rio back styles goes.

Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture

Date Posted：11/14/2014 02:20:46Copy HTML

 I think it would be helpful if thongs were not associated with notorious celebutards. We need numerous athletic people seen in them. People should associate them with a positive, fit, healthy lifestyle. You shouldn't need to look like a "specimen" to wear them, either.

Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture

Date Posted：11/15/2014 08:50:20Copy HTML

Interesting
last point pikeman.

At one pool I frequent there is a regular who I usually
speak to as I depart. On one occasion last autumn while we were chatting, a
guy who was obviously a very keen bodybuilder climbed out of the pool and lay in the sun
for a short while wearing fluro 25mm side Brazil back briefs. Straight after he
left, a few others made disparaging remarks about his swimwear. Considering it
was the same style as I swam laps in, and as I always sunned in a g-string, I said to
my friend, "Do they say the same thing about me after I leave?" Her
reply was, “Nope. You’re just a reasonably fit guy who wants an all-over tan.
They probably think that guy is up himself”.

Undoubtedly unfair, just as it is
for an overweight person in Speedos or a brief bikini. But since was sensible
informed opinion ever a basis for popular culture?

Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture

Date Posted：11/16/2014 07:18:22Copy HTML

This may b over simplistic - but how about we all just more openly wear our thong swimsuits in public and let more people know we like them and why? Basicaly climb out of the closet on the topic (if you are in one) and be more open, sharing and straight forward about it. Lead by example, as Im sure many but not all of us do. I totally get that it may feel daunting or scary, but I think 99% of it is in our own minds. If you real all the stories, the universal them seems to be that when we do wear our thongs, no one cares! But they do no doubt take note. More happy guys doing what they want and being relaxed and normal bout it the better. I say guys coz the ladies re already all over this.Putting my butt where my mouth is, I just had a swim in one of my apartment buildings pools and once again wore my thong bathers. A lady come and stood on her balcony for a while and watched. I smiled. She smiles back. we all got along and another pro-thong ripple went out into the universe.Thong on brutha's n sistas! Do it in style with a smile n' acceptance will grow ;-) 

Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture

Date Posted：11/16/2014 05:39:27Copy HTML

I think Happy_Thonger is right, come out of the closet and thong openly with confidence.  Lead by example. Don't wait for others to thong first.

I notice more young men on the beach wearing square cuts or speedos, openly with confidence.  Maybe it helps that we have a strong gay population in town. Either way the trend is moving the right direction, but it is still up to us to lead. 

Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture

Date Posted：11/16/2014 06:18:38Copy HTML

 Happy Thonger you said it very well!  I think boldness and confidence are a key to bringing thongs back to pop culture.  I believe that if we are confident then others around us will feel more comfortable with what we are wearing regardless of their feelings about it.  That is great that you interacted with your neighbor in a normal fashion.  All we thong wearers need to do is act normally and be confident.  

Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture

Date Posted：11/16/2014 08:09:18Copy HTML

Happy_Thonger and various others are spot on in advocating normal
behaviour when wearing a thong. Being realistic however, there isn't
much we ordinary people can do to positively affect popular culture. I’ve worn g-strings at hundreds
of beaches and pools over a 40 year period, and the number of people who have
been encouraged to wear briefer swimwear, even in the micro-environment of that
particular beach or pool, while nice if it happens, is insignificant. Popular culture is more likely the
result of what the fashion industry decides, what entertainment and sports personalities do and how the media reports it.

I
suspect the only notable influence each of us can have is in the negative. If
we wear some totally inappropriate ‘display’ suit, get in people’s faces or
just generally come across as a creep, we will give the unfortunate few
who have hang-ups about thongs the chance to lobby 
against us. Remember that authorities often find it easier to ban an activity than track down the few badly  behaving individuals. And as the saying goes, “100 Attaboys can be wiped out by one Aw Sh*t”.

Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture

Date Posted：11/22/2014 09:29:01Copy HTML

Perhaps we should also consider a negative consequence of
thonging becoming popular.

Around midday yesterday I’d swum a few
laps at a local Olympic pool and was catching some sun in my g-string. I was on
the grass at the deep end of the pool which is a low traffic area. The
only others near me were two late teenage girls and a mum with three young
kids, all of whom arrived while I was sunning. There were about 50 other people
scattered around the facility.

After about 45 minutes, one of the lifeguards
came over and very politely asked me would I wear a bit more, as there had been
a complaint. I said okay, but commented that I’d been here dozens of times and
nobody had ever worried about what I was wearing. Although this was the first
visit this season, I’d actually been there 67 times of which about half were
weekends or summer school holidays. She replied that she was sorry, but it
wasn’t up to her. I swam a few more laps and then left. On the way out, the guy
who I think is the senior lifeguard and with whom I have regularly chatted,
approached me to say he hoped I wasn‘t offended and to explain the change.

Para
phasing what he said:- Apparently the local council who both own and manage this
pool have (unbeknown to me), a “No g-string, no topless policy.” The lifeguards
never enforced this policy, as it was basically only me and nobody ever had a
problem. This season, however, a number of the girls were sunning in g-strings
(though I suspect they were thongs) on the concrete between the main and the
children’s pools. Not unreasonable, as this is an area where  the
same (probably) girls have always sunned in bikinis. An unspecified number of complaints
occurred and it became a bit of an issue.

Although the lifeguards are still only enforcing
the policy if there’s a complaint, there is now at least one pool patron
searching for non-complying swimwear to complain about. The lifeguards have
tried to talk the person(s) around, but are ultimately hamstrung by the council
policy.

In summary, wearing what I want at this pool is now dependent on an individual(s)
not being there at the same time I am. At the beach, where the only
‘rule’ is the common law requirement to cover genitals it wouldn’t be a
problem. At a suburban pool, in which the operator can, within reason, make any
rule they like, I do not see any way around this.

Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture

Date Posted：11/23/2014 08:34:28Copy HTML

 Challenged at the highest level, I would suspect the law of the land would prevail...

ain't nobody got time (or money) for dat...

Another down side to being in a minority, I guess.

Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture

Date Posted：12/06/2014 12:10:03Copy HTML

 Getting further off-topic, but I've just gotta update my previos post.

Two weeks late at the same pool. Confirmed with the lifeguard that it was still okay to sun in a g-string provided no one complained. He then told me that after I'd left last time there was a well developed early teen aged girl swimming in a sheer top and bottom. Turns out it was the daughter of the guy complaing about g-strings! Moreover the guy saw no problem with this and didn't see anything even slightly hypocritical about his actions. The lifeguard doubts they'll see him again. Life returns to normal.

Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture

Date Posted：12/07/2014 04:16:07Copy HTML

i wear a thong bathing suit to the local pool here and the beach all the time. i have a pool and i tell you, my thong dries quicker and its way easier swimming in.

Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture

Date Posted：04/09/2015 07:06:08Copy HTML

 I don't disagree with the points made above. This opinion is in addition to the previous points. While thong swimwear is readily available on the internet, I really feel that if "Brick and Mortar" s stores carried thongs, it would go a long way to increasing the social acceptance of them. With thongs only being available online (in the average market, swimwear boutiques in California don't count), they are kind of reduced to a "niche" corner of swimwear style which in turn can make Joe Average view wearing thongs as a kind of fetish. Conversely, if someone were to walk into Target and see a thong on a mannequin, they may be inclined to think, "This must be what people are doing now."

Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture

Date Posted：04/09/2015 08:39:52Copy HTML

 ^^ " I really feel that if "Brick and Mortar" s stores carried thongs, it would go a long way to increasing the social acceptance of them."

Well yes, of course. But that's a bit like saying we would have world peace if everyone stopped fighting.

Stores will carry what sells, or what they think will sell. They may also carry a small amount of stuff that doesn't sell well, for the sake of being perceived as a store where you have a good range of choices. however you can't expect a store to be into social engineering. They are a business.

It's easy to shift responsibility onto businesses, the media, etc, but the fact is that if enough people chose to wear a thong, and thongs were a common sight on beaches, you would get department stores stocking them. The responsibility is ours. And in the meantime there are plenty of places online to find your thongs.

Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture

Date Posted：05/08/2015 11:23:08Copy HTML

The film L'année des méduses is back on Youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_EXP1mXaq8

Worth a look to see 1980's European beach fashions

Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture

Date Posted：05/08/2015 01:52:32Copy HTML

Didn't see any thongs in the movie, but certainly lots of topless :-))

Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture

Date Posted：05/11/2015 02:16:30Copy HTML

@lindros - in the film L'année des méduses,  there is a guy in either a white tanga or string at about 36 minutes into the film.  Anyway it is worth a watch...

Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture

Date Posted：09/18/2015 04:50:51Copy HTML

This will take things forward...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WuiHqmN15q0 

Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture

Date Posted：09/18/2015 09:38:05Copy HTML

Thank goodness they didn't use the word 'thong'. Well at least in the first minute - that was about as much as I could handle!

Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture

Date Posted：07/24/2016 01:47:32Copy HTML

 I wanted to share a couple of observations from my recent trip and this thread seems to be the best vehicle.
I have been wearing minimal swimwear and underwear for over 20 years. I have seen trends come and go. I think that the overall trend for minimal swimwear for men has hit a low as evidenced by the population at Punta Cana.
The North American tendency to cover up in board shorts has now spread to most of the world. The average length seems to be right above the knee. Truly some of these seem like “clownpants”.
The men who wear briefs or “speedos” are few but seem to be more common in the 40 year old range and from Eastern Europe particularly Russia.
I think that a big part of this trend is the lack of brick and mortar stores that sell minimal swimwear for men. In the past even if people did not go out with the intention of buying a “speedo”, their interest may have been peaked by stumbling across them in a store. Men’s significant others may have bought one as a dare or a joke, and thereby creating a speedo-man.
Nowadays most of the stores are gone and even some of the older online stores which had a wide selection have also disappeared. So someone who wants to buy one almost has to search out an internet merchant. Some of the sites can be intimidating as they are gay oriented and may make the average straight male feel uncomfortable about going through with the choice.
Personally, I found that I care less about what others think. I am in my mid 40’s and my kids are in their teen years and they seem to be more supportive of my choice than say 2 years ago. Unfortunately I don’t think their male peers will bother trying speedos for the above reasons. One of my daughters says she is going to “force” her kids to wear speedos as I think she respects my courage to do so;we shall see.

Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture

Date Posted：07/24/2016 05:48:07Copy HTML

https://www.instagram.com/frankjath/

Here's me (in the skimpiest thong) and my friend doing our part to make thongs normal. This is at a normal beach (Moonlight in Encinitas, CA), height of the summer. I like to skimboard, as you can see (although the video is at Black's Beach in San Diego), so we were further from the crowds in these photos because the beach was flatter and way less crowded there. 

Had a few people want photos but they didn't ask, just awkwardly tried to take them by posing in front of us. I'm new to all this so I didn't think to go up, say hi, and offer a photo op until after the fact, but rest assured, I will in the future.

There are lots of guys out there who want to do it, they're just scared. Once you get out there and see that no one attacks you and many just look and smirk, it's no big deal. All about being out in the open and normalizing it!

Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture

Date Posted：09/04/2026 02:37:02Copy HTML

Here's a thong from 10 years ago on the subject of thongs in public culture!   Have things changed?  What's your new idea.

BTW one thing that hasn't changed is that autocorrect on many phones still changes "thong" to "thing" and people posting here seem to be posting on the "thingboard"-don't know that may be a real place for guys to talk??

Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture

Date Posted：10/07/2026 02:17:51Copy HTML

How to make thongs popular?  Hack the internet !!

The Aimoo website that powers this message board is antiquated. 
The nipple police patrol the photos on Facebook and Instagram. 
The TV cut or blur any images of people in thong swimsuits.

So how do we change popular culture?  Hack the rest of the internet. Advertisers and websites do this ALL THE TIME.  It is called SEO. search engine optimization. In the old days that was simply worlds that make your site findable by the search engines. These days it means having a lot of other websites link back to your page. 

If you want to make thongs mainstream post links back to here on other websites.  Link back to the main page for this message board, but don't link to specific posts because only logged in users can read, so specific backlinks will fail. 

Post stores and accounts all over the internet, not just here. In the comments praise people who boldly thong. 

However we now have AI:
AI eats information on the internet and regurgitates summaries.  Instead of just serving up a list of website links Google and other search engines try giving you an AI summary first.  If you google "can i wear a thong swimsuit" you don't get a list of links, you first get an AI summary. 

So write up and add your personal stories all over the internet.  The more positive data out there the more likely someone asking google if they can or should wear thongs is going to get a helpful and supporting answer. 

The more positive content scattered round the internet the better. 

Use your winter downtime productively. Postings on sites like Reddit and Quora help. As do articles on social media sites etc. Remember the internet is hungry for content. 

Search answer websites and UP-VOTE the positive responses. Similarly give the naysayers a hard time.  

Have you read a page and wanted to reply but found there was no way to leave comments?  This is annoying but can be exploited.  The same website needs content. If you provide well written text with positive upbeat attitude they will probably publish, and the inability to comment will shut out any possible negative comments. 

If you want to see change live the change:  Wear a thong swimsuit openly and publicly.  Be confident and visible. 

If you want to change internet attitudes let your fingers do the typing. Post positive experiences.  Post about overcoming your fears and foibles. Post all over the internet, not just here.  

Just remember to use spellcheck and proof read.

Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture

Date Posted：10/07/2026 08:54:07Copy HTML

iPost like these on IG don’t help. None said anything. Yet silence and discreet camera recording tells the viewer what the gals  think about the  male thonger. 

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DdR3yhggeOj/?stkn=YzJhYW95MGJoZmhs

Or takes two gays to stereotype all males that wear thongs, it’s part of the alphabet community.  99% of males in the group wear more coverage however. 
https://www.instagram.com/reel/Dd5RX_LiV6P/?stkn=bWEyaHcxZXVwNm1t

Gay black cruise: 
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DcbRlvpx7a6/?stkn=MTN2aWFoamVhcjh2cQ==
Comparison with dark tan attractive female thonger versus pasty male thongers. 
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DcoD29vCnBA/?stkn=b2lrNGJwYm9hZjcz

However female in a thong appearing ridiculous no problem. In fact it’s encouraged. No shame in recording her dance or reactions. 
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DeE9cBrO3ee/?stkn=MWxxczhnOGZybHRjMQ==
With so much female body exploitation on IG gals showing their buns. Many using A.I starting to mock the female thong influencers, depicted males in sexual explicit clothing.  Often posting are you gay by watching. 
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DdrEwwPIkhG/?stkn=MXdrOG92Z2g2bXhuZg==

Posting daily activities  thonging being a routine, others become jaded that metrosexual  men indeed  do also wear fashionable one piece thongs, not strictly exclusive only for women. Open many eyes what men can or do wear under spandex leggings or short shorts. Attached is a stigma many can’t shake  to the thonger regardless of his sexual preference. Difficult for gal to be smitten by the look because of societies stereotypes and mockery. 
https://www.instagram.com/reel/Dd1M_dIoP5u/?stkn=OG05ajRtc2J4cHB1

Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture

Date Posted：10/11/2026 07:30:20Copy HTML

Most of those instagram posts are blocked due to adult content. The ones that are viewable were female thongs

Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture

Date Posted：10/11/2026 07:33:40Copy HTML

JM_RUNS: Your 'hack the internet' has the right idea, but the wrong method. That would have worked very well 25+ years ago. 
Now your fingers are useless, the content needs to be made and distributed, shared and commented on, liked, every second of every hour, and multiple times for it to have any surface power at all. Only bots can do this

Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture

Date Posted：10/13/2026 01:39:23Copy HTML

I post about everyday on my IG.  This is how I promote a guy in a thong.  Anyway I can let it be known there are people who like wearing a thong to the beach guy or girl. This is our passion and we have to be the leaders.

Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture

Date Posted：10/14/2026 02:39:12Copy HTML

littleone, I suspect you are wrong about needing a bot army.  If it were an election with lots of money and lots of advertising against you then maybe.  
But, since there is a limited amount of content on subjects like "where can men wear thongs on the beach" the AI and web crawling search engines have less to go on, therefore we have a lot more influence.  

If you ask google a silly question like "do girls like guys in thongs" you will get a bunch of answers, mostly written by men.  Old outdated reedit threats of men telling others what women want, that sort of stuff.  Silly yotube "influencers" giggling through trying thongs for the first time, etc. 

However if you ask a more serious or thoughtful question, like "how can men get the courage to wear swim thongs in pubic"  the internet provides rather helpful answers. 

The more niche the subject and the deeper the question the more we see authoritive sources get prominence. 

Unfortunately you are unlikely to see men in thongs on TV or in movies simply because the video content is now made for selling world wide, without getting censored. So no more Crocodile Dundee moments or "Beach Blanket" films propagating bikini styles. 

Mass TV and Video producers are, for the moment, staying clear of nipples, firm bums and anything related, unless covered in gym spandex. 

With the death of MTV we are not going to have videos like Olivia Newton-John's "Physical" or Eric Prydz's "Call On Me" driving pop culture.  

If all men were wearing thongs, it would no longer be special.  However I do believe we are at a sweet point, where most men are still to shy, but most women are strongly welcoming - Especially younger women.  

This is noticeable when I paddle over to the Sandbar on a Friday or Saturday. The pontoon boats with bachelorette parties on board have groups from all over the USA. Most women doing bachelorette weekends are 20 to 35 year old age range.  Almost all are VERY welcoming to a guy in a thong. 
Notably this is how they really feel, when away from possible disapproval of their family, husband or boyfriend. 

So do we really care what some 55 or 65 year old man thinks, or what the younger women think?  

Surprisingly I also get a good number of friendly and supportive cheers from the male bachelor party boats, although most they don't ask me to join them. So supportive but shy of being too friendly least others think they be gay. 

Posting beach reports or personal experiences on this board is not nearly as helpful to the cause as posting them all over the internet. That is my fault. 
When setting up this forum on Aimoo I selected to exclude search engines crawlers because at that time we were paying for page views. Also you need to be logged in with an Aimoo user ID and be a member of this forum to read most of the messages. 

So be bold on the beach, and be bold by cross posting thong triumphs elsewhere on the internet.

thong123	#51
	Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture Date Posted：12/20/2013 03:12:19Copy HTML Sure would be nice to start something in the SF Bay Area...
32189	#52
	Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture Date Posted：12/20/2013 04:08:28Copy HTML I agree with thongboy. We thongers need to not hide out when thonging. Being visible to the public will allow people the chance to get used to seeing others in thongs. If we hide out then nobody will ever see us and there will not be even a chance of acceptance. Being seen in public bears the risk that some may laugh or mock. But overall I believe it does more harm than good towards thong acceptance. And even though a few will laugh or mock or make rude comments most people do not act in such a manner regardless of whether they disagree or not. For me the best guide of acceptance is when I am laying out at the beach where anyone can see me and a group of people set up near me and go about their business as usual. That is one of the greatest things for me to experience while thonging. I do not need or expect any positive comments but their going about business as usual says a lot in a non-verbal communication.
tiggerix	#53
	Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture Date Posted：12/20/2013 12:07:26Copy HTML Good on you in the US if you can get a group to go to the beach with. Over the pond in Europe that's less likely to happen so it's more a case of just getting on with it and wearing thongs wherever and whenever we can. Most of Europe seems to have a different attitude to what I perceive is the case in US - which seems to range from prudish to exhibitionist. Much of Europe is tolerant of nudity and smaller swimwear. My OH doesn't like thongs (she finds them either funny or freaky), but thankfully there are so many places I can go nude which she is comfortable with, so I don't worry too much. We tend to set up away from the main crowd as we like the peace and quiet. Plenty of people walk by and that's fine. I generally avoid the 'official' nude beach zone and take a view on what I can reasonably get away with. Sometimes I will be the first one nude and she isn't too comfortable with that, but then relaxes when she finds others set up nude in the vicinity. As a corollary, being the first to set up in a thong will most likely lead to others ditching the board shorts and bikini tops etc. Many people want some kind of perceived permission and would love to wear less at the beach, given the chance.
ioannis	#54
	Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture Date Posted：12/21/2013 06:41:02Copy HTML I have to say that i agree with the above statements. if we remain isolate, then thongs either as a swim or underwear will remain something isolate and "bad" and " weird" style of clothing. if we all just wear our thongs like a normal choice of swimwear or underwear , then the rest will facing us and our choice just like that. From my personal experience, well yesterday i went to my new gym. i idin't know nobody and i didn't know the enviroment and attitudes etc. but i was determined not to be afraid and be "brave", so after my arrival at the locker room i strip off my pants, while i was having a relaxing talk with some others fellows, totally unknown to me. so just simple i was strip off my pants and i continue taliking with them as i was only with my black - consernative i have to say- thong. nobody said nothing, they just continue to talk. on the beach, the past summer i was openly thonging at a very popular beach, in Cyrpus, nobody said nothing. the same happened to Crete, where i wore mt blue thonh swim at the baech in front of a very big and expensive hotel. so, if we wearing our thongs and just acting like nothing special is going on, then we can 1) receive the same attitude from the others 2) convert and encourage others to thong.
thongboy052000	#55
	Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture Date Posted：12/21/2013 03:34:36Copy HTML It's great to find support for my comments. But I know it will be an uphill battle. After all this is a culture where most males are terrified even of wearing a Speedo in public.
thong_jock	#56
	Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture Date Posted：12/21/2013 04:33:53Copy HTML I honestly don't think it's ever going to happen. I don't care much for popular culture anyway and am not looking for acceptance from the masses. My take on thonging is always that I'll thong wherever I feel comfortable doing so, and sometimes pushing my own comfort level a bit. I'm definitely not one of those board members who would wear a thong to a water park, but I do sport them on crowded public beaches, and sometimes hotel pools, although prefer more secluded, quiet environments. I just try and stay in the best shape I can, despite my love of food and cocktails, so when I do strip down to a thong, I feel good about MYSELF and confident in my choice of skimpy swimwear. It's about how YOU feel, not what others think. Everyone is different and if you're not hurting others and you love all God's creatures and are respectful and kind, those are the core traits that need to permeate popular culture. Soapbox Sermon Complete.
stanpuppy	#57
	Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture Date Posted：12/21/2013 10:53:17Copy HTML I don't see it happening any time soon. I think the pop culture of thongs as "pseudo" mainstream for men (i.e. back in the early 90's) was an offshoot of the thong coming into mainstream in the press with women leading the way. It was an age of tighter clothing and the spillover of the bodybuilding culture of the late 80's (spandex shorts, string tanks and speedo swimsuits). As womens whaletails were garnering newspaper and magazine coverage, guys got a little bit of a boost in a whats good for the goose is good for the gander way. Now that thongs are officially mainstream for women (as underwear), and accepted (albeit still considered somewhat risqué) as swimwear, men fall into the fringe element. We may get a boost from some of the trends towards shorter swim trunks, and even "James bond" style squarecuts....but I don't think the man thong is making a comeback any time soon
Microron	#58
	Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture Date Posted：12/22/2013 01:28:48Copy HTML TOO LATE I THINK...GUYS & DOLLS ~ ~ ~ the youngsters, 8'ish or so were observed wearing mid thigh "Stanfield" type underwear as they changed back into their street clothes at my local pool recently. ~ ~ ~ Colour me an anachronism... a Canadian one at that... One who wears brief Speedos for lap swimming and thongs for beachwear... but maybe we can still hold onto "THE FAINT HOPE CLAUSE" that is part of every convicted criminals dream, to apply for early release~ ~ ~for having committed a "Fashion Faux Pas" if we are to be judged by today's youth when they grow up to hold the gavel and shake it at you. ~ ~ ~I'm Sorry, I know I'm not very optimistic in what is usually considered this "Season of Hope and Goodwill"....
BorisVI	#59
	Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture Date Posted：12/22/2013 09:02:25Copy HTML Look for megatrends that favor outdoor health and especially fitness (where participants, i.e., bodybuilders, wear less clothes). When that happens someone in retail will try to exploit it with more spandex, form fitting clothing including swimwear. The current urban trend is a disaster for the thong wearers. Inner city is not at the beach. Does your gym play R&B/ Hip-Hop or Urban top 40? Not a good sign nor are tattooed gym members with piercings. I think thong popularity is at a very low ebb but not there indefinitely.
nicksthong	#60
	Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture Date Posted：12/24/2013 07:54:25Copy HTML I cant say that I would bother worrying about a "popular resurgence" of thong bikinis or mens underwear. There are a few types of acceptance. One kind accepts things because its what is cool now, and conformity squashes any kind of personal objection. The other kind accepts things because they see no real objection to it. I don't know about you, but I would prefer to see thongs be accepted by our western culture, because nobody really has many objections to them. You can see how achieving these two types of acceptances would necessitate two very different approaches. One would require a massive cultural push, and the other simply requires that we not be assholes while wearing our thongs.Or so I figure.
Grabeach	#61
	Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture Date Posted：12/25/2013 09:42:19Copy HTML nicsthong's is one of the most insightful posts I've come across. Just my character, but I often find myself questioning things that are really popular eg. so-called reality TV, adulation of sporting / entertainment personalities and on a more serious note our obsession with alcohol, especially amongst our underage and youths. But as nicsthong says, it's cool and you have to conform. It is very difficult for many to survive socially if they don't. In Australia, while hardly anybody wears thong swimwear, I'd guess somewhere over 95% either don't mind, don't care or aren't bothered to the extent that they'll complain about it if I do. As the other couple of percent are going to have a winge no matter how popular or unpopular thongs become, about the only thing I'd really like to see change is for a few more of the pool managers to have the backbone to stand up to this tiny, but unfortunately vocal, intolerant minority. I can't agree more that the first step in achieving this is, "that we not be assholes while wearing our thongs". While I think thong swimwear to be aesthically pleasing and also find satisfaction in observing others having the confidence to go against a popular trend, what others wear isn't going to affect my enjoyment of my time at the beach or pool. Notwithstanding, I do sometimes wonder what my reaction would be if almost everybody started wearing thongs!
JM_Runs	#62
	Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture Date Posted：10/09/2014 04:24:46Copy HTML I think thongers being very public, very visible and very normal helps the cause. I recently read a quote that made me think of this: "One of the greatest influences on any culture is the "normative power of the actual" (a phrase I once heard from the late Yale Law Professor Charles L. Black, Jr.)" That he is saying, in an obtuse way, is people get adapted to what they see regularly and start to accept that as normal. If every time they go to the beach on a windy day they see a couple of people kite-boarding, they will consider that a normal activity, even though only a very few actually do it. Same with thongers.
mack_back	#63
	Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture Date Posted：10/09/2014 08:39:33Copy HTML As for Mr. Blacks theory i believe in it but practically it may not work 100% of the time. Whenever you fit an image of something in your mind it's difficult to ignore. Yet when seeing one or group of same regular males wearing thongs upon the beach some believe it's a clique or tight knit group community, for better word acception to the norm or rule. In many respects adults have clear defined rules or assumtions to what we all must wear. If an adult sees a male thonger they quickly think stripper. Why else motivates a male to wear a thong? While a female thonger is usually defined as appropiate for specific locations. Many people expect woman to wear skimpy bottoms either in Miami or Rio beach's. While still if a male don's wearing a thong it is still considered unique beach wear even at the locations I mentioned earlier. So end result no matter how many times you wear a thong some people will try to protest banning your thong attire. While saying all that it in small measurable steps you can be only male in a thong. It gives other males to wear smaller brief like swimwear only believing that isn't as severe then a thong. In tiny steps we as thongers lowered the bar for beach fashion from baggy long shorts to briefs. Yet being a thonger will be extreme attire never seeing it being normal beach clothing.
wearsthongs	#64
	Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture Date Posted：10/10/2014 01:26:35Copy HTML Easiest way to gain acceptance in a thong: look sexy as all hell in it. Whenever I'm around 10% bodyfat or less I get compliments whether I'm wears shorts, trunks, briefs or a thong at the beach. When you look good people don't care what you wear, they just wanna see.
tiggerix	#65
	Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture Date Posted：10/10/2014 10:36:01Copy HTML Agree that if people see more of something, then that becomes part of the norm, but not necessarily desirable. My kids have seen nude people, who were mostly old and overweight, so their view of nude beaches is basically 'old and fat' and not something to even consider - they tolerate it and that's about it. Contrast that with my OH recently seeing lots more females of all ages wearing cheeky and thong bikinis which has moved her towards wanting to wear those too (good news for me..). Acting normally on a beach - not hiding away behind rocks or dunes, and doing what everybody else does, will really help with acceptance. Being in reasonable shape and wearing something that is well made and looks like it fits is another plus.
Tangapreta	#66
	Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture Date Posted：10/10/2014 08:12:55Copy HTML I suggest a charity campaign where thongs with a logo of support for the campaign would be distributed to donors and they would be encouraged to wear it to disclose the same.
tanlines2thin	#67
	Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture Date Posted：10/10/2014 10:52:18Copy HTML I know that I am always throwing cold water on this 'social-thong-acceptance' wet-dream agenda......if we lived in a perfect world - which only exists at c/o venues - I would beat the drum on the bandwagon........as a previous poster commented, 'be in shape and people will look'........in a nutshell, that is the upside..........the downside of 'social-thong-acceptance' is having to deal with the walmart-legging-stereotypes........that said, I am all for being happy with thonging remaining a cult.........so what, you can't do it everywhere and anywhere.........you already cannot do anything, everywhere, and - within reason - life is better that way............personally, I would love to show it everywhere and anywhere, but call me a prejudice snob, I am not so cool about just anyone and everyone showing it everywhere and anywhere..........that kinda stuff just don't fly..........I'm more of a big-picture, majority rule type........beat me up for that and you will lose.........
ozthong	#68
	Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture Date Posted：10/12/2014 09:09:27Copy HTML All sports should be held in Rio de Janeiro. During the last world cup, they showed beautiful women in thongs in the beaches in Rio, I think this has made an impact on women switching to smaller rio-type bottoms. Hopefully the 2016 Olympics in Rio would promote more people switching to thongs and g-strings.
Thongmad	#69
	Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture Date Posted：10/14/2014 09:47:33Copy HTML Thongs, at the peak of their popularity, were never 'the norm'. At best they accounted for around 15% of the market, in female underwear. Less so for swimwear. Less again for mens versions (4% if market studies from the time are accurate). I cannot ever see them being more than a recurring trend, but with each cycle, will gain more acceptance as just another choice, and nothing to be feared. Meanwhile I will wear them every day, and just hope I can always buy more :)
tiggerix	#70
	Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture Date Posted：11/13/2014 05:26:51Copy HTML Trawling through Youtube recently, came across full version of an 1984 French film - L'année des méduses - alas it has been pulled down already, presumably due to copyright. I think it is set in south of France and features a girl who spends almost half the film on the beach with just bikini bottoms on - and for some reason I didn't follow the plot......... perhaps someone will enlighten me? Anyway, I think the backdrop showing people on the beach was about the norm for the time - that was short shorts and speedo type briefs on men and a mix of bikinis, topless and one pieces for the girls. Obviously no dork shorts with saggy underwear and only the occasional thong, tanga or smaller bikini on guys. Some fairly skimpy bottoms on girls but no real thongs or G's. Overall, it all looked fairly relaxed, which is how I remembered it - but, what it did remind me, was that skimpy bikini swimwear on men was not as common as I had wanted to think it was and thongs were fairly rare. That's a long way of saying I agree with Thongmad that thongs have never been and never will be mainstream, esp for the guys. Thankfully the current run on cheeky bottoms for girls is at least giving some entertainment. Finally, for anyone that has access to the film, can you tell me if the guy in the background about 39 minutes in is wearing a string or a tanga?
Grabeach	#71
	Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture Date Posted：11/13/2014 10:03:32Copy HTML From Wikepedia: "Chris, a sexy teenager who appears mostly bare-breasted on the French Riviera, has a crush on Romain, her mother's lover. In reaction to her inability to attract his attention, she experiments with other risque affairs." Viewing the sections of the movie that are available, it reminds me of South Bondi in the mid 70s when topless was officially declared legal there. Brief bikini bottoms sitting low on the hips, but no thongs. Eventually the more daring women tended to roll there bikini bottoms down from the top, rather than these days when it is up from the bottom, culminating in pure g-strings. Thongs didn't exist for quite a while. Most people only knew thongs as the things you wore on your feet. Speedos were very popular with Aussie guys, after all it is our brand. Probably copying the girls, a small number of guys would also roll down their Speedos. An even smaller number then wore g-strings. I was one of the first, maybe even the first. It was a case of, "If she can then I can." Maybe because I was so involved with emergence of the 'tanning your bum' culture back in the 70s and early 80s, I am fascinated to see how far the latest trend to briefer rio back styles goes.
pikeman	#72
	Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture Date Posted：11/14/2014 02:20:46Copy HTML I think it would be helpful if thongs were not associated with notorious celebutards. We need numerous athletic people seen in them. People should associate them with a positive, fit, healthy lifestyle. You shouldn't need to look like a "specimen" to wear them, either.
Grabeach	#73
	Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture Date Posted：11/15/2014 08:50:20Copy HTML Interesting last point pikeman. At one pool I frequent there is a regular who I usually speak to as I depart. On one occasion last autumn while we were chatting, a guy who was obviously a very keen bodybuilder climbed out of the pool and lay in the sun for a short while wearing fluro 25mm side Brazil back briefs. Straight after he left, a few others made disparaging remarks about his swimwear. Considering it was the same style as I swam laps in, and as I always sunned in a g-string, I said to my friend, "Do they say the same thing about me after I leave?" Her reply was, “Nope. You’re just a reasonably fit guy who wants an all-over tan. They probably think that guy is up himself”. Undoubtedly unfair, just as it is for an overweight person in Speedos or a brief bikini. But since was sensible informed opinion ever a basis for popular culture?
Happy_Thonger	#74
	Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture Date Posted：11/16/2014 07:18:22Copy HTML This may b over simplistic - but how about we all just more openly wear our thong swimsuits in public and let more people know we like them and why? Basicaly climb out of the closet on the topic (if you are in one) and be more open, sharing and straight forward about it. Lead by example, as Im sure many but not all of us do. I totally get that it may feel daunting or scary, but I think 99% of it is in our own minds. If you real all the stories, the universal them seems to be that when we do wear our thongs, no one cares! But they do no doubt take note. More happy guys doing what they want and being relaxed and normal bout it the better. I say guys coz the ladies re already all over this.Putting my butt where my mouth is, I just had a swim in one of my apartment buildings pools and once again wore my thong bathers. A lady come and stood on her balcony for a while and watched. I smiled. She smiles back. we all got along and another pro-thong ripple went out into the universe.Thong on brutha's n sistas! Do it in style with a smile n' acceptance will grow ;-)
JM_Runs	#75
	Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture Date Posted：11/16/2014 05:39:27Copy HTML I think Happy_Thonger is right, come out of the closet and thong openly with confidence. Lead by example. Don't wait for others to thong first. I notice more young men on the beach wearing square cuts or speedos, openly with confidence. Maybe it helps that we have a strong gay population in town. Either way the trend is moving the right direction, but it is still up to us to lead.
32189	#76
	Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture Date Posted：11/16/2014 06:18:38Copy HTML Happy Thonger you said it very well! I think boldness and confidence are a key to bringing thongs back to pop culture. I believe that if we are confident then others around us will feel more comfortable with what we are wearing regardless of their feelings about it. That is great that you interacted with your neighbor in a normal fashion. All we thong wearers need to do is act normally and be confident.
Grabeach	#77
	Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture Date Posted：11/16/2014 08:09:18Copy HTML Happy_Thonger and various others are spot on in advocating normal behaviour when wearing a thong. Being realistic however, there isn't much we ordinary people can do to positively affect popular culture. I’ve worn g-strings at hundreds of beaches and pools over a 40 year period, and the number of people who have been encouraged to wear briefer swimwear, even in the micro-environment of that particular beach or pool, while nice if it happens, is insignificant. Popular culture is more likely the result of what the fashion industry decides, what entertainment and sports personalities do and how the media reports it. I suspect the only notable influence each of us can have is in the negative. If we wear some totally inappropriate ‘display’ suit, get in people’s faces or just generally come across as a creep, we will give the unfortunate few who have hang-ups about thongs the chance to lobby against us. Remember that authorities often find it easier to ban an activity than track down the few badly behaving individuals. And as the saying goes, “100 Attaboys can be wiped out by one Aw Sh*t”.
Grabeach	#78
	Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture Date Posted：11/22/2014 09:29:01Copy HTML Perhaps we should also consider a negative consequence of thonging becoming popular. Around midday yesterday I’d swum a few laps at a local Olympic pool and was catching some sun in my g-string. I was on the grass at the deep end of the pool which is a low traffic area. The only others near me were two late teenage girls and a mum with three young kids, all of whom arrived while I was sunning. There were about 50 other people scattered around the facility. After about 45 minutes, one of the lifeguards came over and very politely asked me would I wear a bit more, as there had been a complaint. I said okay, but commented that I’d been here dozens of times and nobody had ever worried about what I was wearing. Although this was the first visit this season, I’d actually been there 67 times of which about half were weekends or summer school holidays. She replied that she was sorry, but it wasn’t up to her. I swam a few more laps and then left. On the way out, the guy who I think is the senior lifeguard and with whom I have regularly chatted, approached me to say he hoped I wasn‘t offended and to explain the change. Para phasing what he said:- Apparently the local council who both own and manage this pool have (unbeknown to me), a “No g-string, no topless policy.” The lifeguards never enforced this policy, as it was basically only me and nobody ever had a problem. This season, however, a number of the girls were sunning in g-strings (though I suspect they were thongs) on the concrete between the main and the children’s pools. Not unreasonable, as this is an area where the same (probably) girls have always sunned in bikinis. An unspecified number of complaints occurred and it became a bit of an issue. Although the lifeguards are still only enforcing the policy if there’s a complaint, there is now at least one pool patron searching for non-complying swimwear to complain about. The lifeguards have tried to talk the person(s) around, but are ultimately hamstrung by the council policy. In summary, wearing what I want at this pool is now dependent on an individual(s) not being there at the same time I am. At the beach, where the only ‘rule’ is the common law requirement to cover genitals it wouldn’t be a problem. At a suburban pool, in which the operator can, within reason, make any rule they like, I do not see any way around this.
Thongmad	#79
	Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture Date Posted：11/23/2014 08:34:28Copy HTML Challenged at the highest level, I would suspect the law of the land would prevail... ain't nobody got time (or money) for dat... Another down side to being in a minority, I guess.
Grabeach	#80
	Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture Date Posted：12/06/2014 12:10:03Copy HTML Getting further off-topic, but I've just gotta update my previos post. Two weeks late at the same pool. Confirmed with the lifeguard that it was still okay to sun in a g-string provided no one complained. He then told me that after I'd left last time there was a well developed early teen aged girl swimming in a sheer top and bottom. Turns out it was the daughter of the guy complaing about g-strings! Moreover the guy saw no problem with this and didn't see anything even slightly hypocritical about his actions. The lifeguard doubts they'll see him again. Life returns to normal.
johny_b	#81
	Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture Date Posted：12/07/2014 04:16:07Copy HTML i wear a thong bathing suit to the local pool here and the beach all the time. i have a pool and i tell you, my thong dries quicker and its way easier swimming in.
thekrega	#82
	Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture Date Posted：04/09/2015 07:06:08Copy HTML I don't disagree with the points made above. This opinion is in addition to the previous points. While thong swimwear is readily available on the internet, I really feel that if "Brick and Mortar" s stores carried thongs, it would go a long way to increasing the social acceptance of them. With thongs only being available online (in the average market, swimwear boutiques in California don't count), they are kind of reduced to a "niche" corner of swimwear style which in turn can make Joe Average view wearing thongs as a kind of fetish. Conversely, if someone were to walk into Target and see a thong on a mannequin, they may be inclined to think, "This must be what people are doing now."
JM_Runs	#83
	Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture Date Posted：04/09/2015 08:39:52Copy HTML ^^ " I really feel that if "Brick and Mortar" s stores carried thongs, it would go a long way to increasing the social acceptance of them." Well yes, of course. But that's a bit like saying we would have world peace if everyone stopped fighting. Stores will carry what sells, or what they think will sell. They may also carry a small amount of stuff that doesn't sell well, for the sake of being perceived as a store where you have a good range of choices. however you can't expect a store to be into social engineering. They are a business. It's easy to shift responsibility onto businesses, the media, etc, but the fact is that if enough people chose to wear a thong, and thongs were a common sight on beaches, you would get department stores stocking them. The responsibility is ours. And in the meantime there are plenty of places online to find your thongs.
tiggerix	#84
	Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture Date Posted：05/08/2015 11:23:08Copy HTML The film L'année des méduses is back on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_EXP1mXaq8 Worth a look to see 1980's European beach fashions
lindros	#85
	Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture Date Posted：05/08/2015 01:52:32Copy HTML Didn't see any thongs in the movie, but certainly lots of topless :-))
tiggerix	#86
	Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture Date Posted：05/11/2015 02:16:30Copy HTML @lindros - in the film L'année des méduses, there is a guy in either a white tanga or string at about 36 minutes into the film. Anyway it is worth a watch...
tiggerix	#87
	Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture Date Posted：09/18/2015 04:50:51Copy HTML This will take things forward... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WuiHqmN15q0
Grabeach	#88
	Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture Date Posted：09/18/2015 09:38:05Copy HTML Thank goodness they didn't use the word 'thong'. Well at least in the first minute - that was about as much as I could handle!
pkthong	#89
	Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture Date Posted：07/24/2016 01:47:32Copy HTML I wanted to share a couple of observations from my recent trip and this thread seems to be the best vehicle. I have been wearing minimal swimwear and underwear for over 20 years. I have seen trends come and go. I think that the overall trend for minimal swimwear for men has hit a low as evidenced by the population at Punta Cana. The North American tendency to cover up in board shorts has now spread to most of the world. The average length seems to be right above the knee. Truly some of these seem like “clownpants”. The men who wear briefs or “speedos” are few but seem to be more common in the 40 year old range and from Eastern Europe particularly Russia. I think that a big part of this trend is the lack of brick and mortar stores that sell minimal swimwear for men. In the past even if people did not go out with the intention of buying a “speedo”, their interest may have been peaked by stumbling across them in a store. Men’s significant others may have bought one as a dare or a joke, and thereby creating a speedo-man. Nowadays most of the stores are gone and even some of the older online stores which had a wide selection have also disappeared. So someone who wants to buy one almost has to search out an internet merchant. Some of the sites can be intimidating as they are gay oriented and may make the average straight male feel uncomfortable about going through with the choice. Personally, I found that I care less about what others think. I am in my mid 40’s and my kids are in their teen years and they seem to be more supportive of my choice than say 2 years ago. Unfortunately I don’t think their male peers will bother trying speedos for the above reasons. One of my daughters says she is going to “force” her kids to wear speedos as I think she respects my courage to do so;we shall see.
Thonguy	#90
	Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture Date Posted：07/24/2016 05:48:07Copy HTML https://www.instagram.com/frankjath/ Here's me (in the skimpiest thong) and my friend doing our part to make thongs normal. This is at a normal beach (Moonlight in Encinitas, CA), height of the summer. I like to skimboard, as you can see (although the video is at Black's Beach in San Diego), so we were further from the crowds in these photos because the beach was flatter and way less crowded there. Had a few people want photos but they didn't ask, just awkwardly tried to take them by posing in front of us. I'm new to all this so I didn't think to go up, say hi, and offer a photo op until after the fact, but rest assured, I will in the future. There are lots of guys out there who want to do it, they're just scared. Once you get out there and see that no one attacks you and many just look and smirk, it's no big deal. All about being out in the open and normalizing it!
sailor250	#91
	Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture Date Posted：09/04/2026 02:37:02Copy HTML Here's a thong from 10 years ago on the subject of thongs in public culture! Have things changed? What's your new idea. BTW one thing that hasn't changed is that autocorrect on many phones still changes "thong" to "thing" and people posting here seem to be posting on the "thingboard"-don't know that may be a real place for guys to talk??
JM_Runs	#92
	Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture Date Posted：10/07/2026 02:17:51Copy HTML How to make thongs popular? Hack the internet !! The Aimoo website that powers this message board is antiquated. The nipple police patrol the photos on Facebook and Instagram. The TV cut or blur any images of people in thong swimsuits. So how do we change popular culture? Hack the rest of the internet. Advertisers and websites do this ALL THE TIME. It is called SEO. search engine optimization. In the old days that was simply worlds that make your site findable by the search engines. These days it means having a lot of other websites link back to your page. If you want to make thongs mainstream post links back to here on other websites. Link back to the main page for this message board, but don't link to specific posts because only logged in users can read, so specific backlinks will fail. Post stores and accounts all over the internet, not just here. In the comments praise people who boldly thong. However we now have AI: AI eats information on the internet and regurgitates summaries. Instead of just serving up a list of website links Google and other search engines try giving you an AI summary first. If you google "can i wear a thong swimsuit" you don't get a list of links, you first get an AI summary. So write up and add your personal stories all over the internet. The more positive data out there the more likely someone asking google if they can or should wear thongs is going to get a helpful and supporting answer. The more positive content scattered round the internet the better. Use your winter downtime productively. Postings on sites like Reddit and Quora help. As do articles on social media sites etc. Remember the internet is hungry for content. Search answer websites and UP-VOTE the positive responses. Similarly give the naysayers a hard time. Have you read a page and wanted to reply but found there was no way to leave comments? This is annoying but can be exploited. The same website needs content. If you provide well written text with positive upbeat attitude they will probably publish, and the inability to comment will shut out any possible negative comments. If you want to see change live the change: Wear a thong swimsuit openly and publicly. Be confident and visible. If you want to change internet attitudes let your fingers do the typing. Post positive experiences. Post about overcoming your fears and foibles. Post all over the internet, not just here. Just remember to use spellcheck and proof read.
mack_back	#93
	Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture Date Posted：10/07/2026 08:54:07Copy HTML iPost like these on IG don’t help. None said anything. Yet silence and discreet camera recording tells the viewer what the gals think about the male thonger. https://www.instagram.com/reel/DdR3yhggeOj/?stkn=YzJhYW95MGJoZmhs Or takes two gays to stereotype all males that wear thongs, it’s part of the alphabet community. 99% of males in the group wear more coverage however. https://www.instagram.com/reel/Dd5RX_LiV6P/?stkn=bWEyaHcxZXVwNm1t Gay black cruise: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DcbRlvpx7a6/?stkn=MTN2aWFoamVhcjh2cQ== Comparison with dark tan attractive female thonger versus pasty male thongers. https://www.instagram.com/reel/DcoD29vCnBA/?stkn=b2lrNGJwYm9hZjcz However female in a thong appearing ridiculous no problem. In fact it’s encouraged. No shame in recording her dance or reactions. https://www.instagram.com/reel/DeE9cBrO3ee/?stkn=MWxxczhnOGZybHRjMQ== With so much female body exploitation on IG gals showing their buns. Many using A.I starting to mock the female thong influencers, depicted males in sexual explicit clothing. Often posting are you gay by watching. https://www.instagram.com/reel/DdrEwwPIkhG/?stkn=MXdrOG92Z2g2bXhuZg== Posting daily activities thonging being a routine, others become jaded that metrosexual men indeed do also wear fashionable one piece thongs, not strictly exclusive only for women. Open many eyes what men can or do wear under spandex leggings or short shorts. Attached is a stigma many can’t shake to the thonger regardless of his sexual preference. Difficult for gal to be smitten by the look because of societies stereotypes and mockery. https://www.instagram.com/reel/Dd1M_dIoP5u/?stkn=OG05ajRtc2J4cHB1
littleone55555	#94
	Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture Date Posted：10/11/2026 07:30:20Copy HTML Most of those instagram posts are blocked due to adult content. The ones that are viewable were female thongs
littleone55555	#95
	Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture Date Posted：10/11/2026 07:33:40Copy HTML JM_RUNS: Your 'hack the internet' has the right idea, but the wrong method. That would have worked very well 25+ years ago. Now your fingers are useless, the content needs to be made and distributed, shared and commented on, liked, every second of every hour, and multiple times for it to have any surface power at all. Only bots can do this
GregTomo	#96
	Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture Date Posted：10/13/2026 01:39:23Copy HTML I post about everyday on my IG. This is how I promote a guy in a thong. Anyway I can let it be known there are people who like wearing a thong to the beach guy or girl. This is our passion and we have to be the leaders.
JM_Runs	#97
	Re：How bring thong swimsuits back into popular culture Date Posted：10/14/2026 02:39:12Copy HTML littleone, I suspect you are wrong about needing a bot army. If it were an election with lots of money and lots of advertising against you then maybe. But, since there is a limited amount of content on subjects like "where can men wear thongs on the beach" the AI and web crawling search engines have less to go on, therefore we have a lot more influence. If you ask google a silly question like "do girls like guys in thongs" you will get a bunch of answers, mostly written by men. Old outdated reedit threats of men telling others what women want, that sort of stuff. Silly yotube "influencers" giggling through trying thongs for the first time, etc. However if you ask a more serious or thoughtful question, like "how can men get the courage to wear swim thongs in pubic" the internet provides rather helpful answers. The more niche the subject and the deeper the question the more we see authoritive sources get prominence. Unfortunately you are unlikely to see men in thongs on TV or in movies simply because the video content is now made for selling world wide, without getting censored. So no more Crocodile Dundee moments or "Beach Blanket" films propagating bikini styles. Mass TV and Video producers are, for the moment, staying clear of nipples, firm bums and anything related, unless covered in gym spandex. With the death of MTV we are not going to have videos like Olivia Newton-John's "Physical" or Eric Prydz's "Call On Me" driving pop culture. If all men were wearing thongs, it would no longer be special. However I do believe we are at a sweet point, where most men are still to shy, but most women are strongly welcoming - Especially younger women. This is noticeable when I paddle over to the Sandbar on a Friday or Saturday. The pontoon boats with bachelorette parties on board have groups from all over the USA. Most women doing bachelorette weekends are 20 to 35 year old age range. Almost all are VERY welcoming to a guy in a thong. Notably this is how they really feel, when away from possible disapproval of their family, husband or boyfriend. So do we really care what some 55 or 65 year old man thinks, or what the younger women think? Surprisingly I also get a good number of friendly and supportive cheers from the male bachelor party boats, although most they don't ask me to join them. So supportive but shy of being too friendly least others think they be gay. Posting beach reports or personal experiences on this board is not nearly as helpful to the cause as posting them all over the internet. That is my fault. When setting up this forum on Aimoo I selected to exclude search engines crawlers because at that time we were paying for page views. Also you need to be logged in with an Aimoo user ID and be a member of this forum to read most of the messages. So be bold on the beach, and be bold by cross posting thong triumphs elsewhere on the internet.