The first thing you have to relize is that about half of the people have the wrong idea, the wrong values and completly the wrong idea of what life is about. 
How do I know it is about half?  Well just look at the last election, see how many people voted for the wrong choice?
Once you realize that at least 1/2 the nation has bat shit for brains, you should start to look at some of the other nutty things they believe, like imaginary friends and angles and stuff. 

So why do we worry about what these nutters think?  Because we are programed to try to fit in and school teaches us not to stick out. 

Growing up means learning to become self assured and independent in thought.  Unfortunately in the modern world we don't leave school at 18 and strike out on our own, we go on to higher education where it is important that our professors think well of us, or we leave school and enter low level jobs where we are very dependent on pleasing some low level boss.  So we spend far to much of our lives trying to please other people.

Don't value your self by what other people, who don't even know you, might be thinking. 

Learning to have self confidence when thonging is partly a mental game.  You have to realize that many people do approve, and more importantly they approve of you having the right to chose do do as you wish.

You have to tell your self that someones disapproving look does not matter, becuase you would not have asked that persons advice on what to do for a profession, or what you should believe about god,  so why are you worried about what they think of your swim suit?

We have all felt the fear that other people might disapprove. But we rarely stop to think: "Hay some people might approve, and maybe the people who approve are more numerous than the disapprovals."    We don't notice the people who do approve or just don't case because the approving people are more polite, and we are so worried about the people who disapprove that we are not focusing on the friendly smiles from people who do a approve. 

Figure most men like to see women on the beach in thongs, and approve, and at least half the women wish they still had a body like yours and tell their husband, "Well if I had a body like that I would be wearing a thong too."  Which they wouldn't because even if they did have the body they don't have the guts.   So between the 90% of men who approve and the 50% of women telling their husbands that they would if they could, you have a majority of people approving, they may just not show it. 

Then there are also a bunch of people who may disapprove but would defend your right to wear what you want, becuase this is America and people should have freedom.  Then there are all the teenage boys, and they all approve of a girl in a thong, well all except about 10% of them. So, see, there is a lot more quiet support than you think.

What can you do about it?  All I can say is we have all gone through those worries with what other people think, and the only thing I can all tell you is we all look back and think, "Why was I so worried?  No one much really cared!"

You will find the odd redneck who voices his unsolicited opinion, and some women who think they are more proper than you, but neither of these are people you would normally care to hang out with unless you like gator hunting or church socials. So don't let there sudden appearance or odd comments spook you.

Gaining more confidence...  Well just doing it is the first thing.   One thing I think we would all suggest is not hiding out at the end of the beach like you are guilty of something. Summon up the courage to just plunk down in the middle of the beach and go for it.

Take a hat, sun glasses and a book.  They all help you to look around without appearing to be making furtive glances in a guilty sort of way.  Don't let them see you are nervous, be bold.

Going with a friend who is calm and who has more confidence than you can help you build your confidence.  Daring your self to wear a thong, and then to mix with the regular folk on the beach. 

Going with a group of girls is a good start, especially if you can get some of them to thong too. 

A technique I used a lot when I first started thonging and was nervous was to look for people who were already on the beach, and then go and ask them if I could lay out with them becuase I wanted to wear a thong but felt nervous on my own.  You will be amazed how naturally protective people are when you ask for their protection. It is very easy for them to say yes because they don't actually have to anything.

A good suggestion is to setup right in front of the life guard stand. That way people know the life guard has seen you and they think, "Well if he does not have a problem then it must be ok."   I have a friend down here who uses the same system when she want's to go topless on a beach that's not meant to be topless.  She will ask the lifeguard if he minds if she go topless, to which the answer is almost always, "Well I don't mind but if someone complains then I will have to ask you to cover up."  So then she sets up right near the lifeguard stand, very close but just off to one side so she does not block his direct access to the sea.  People see her and they can see the life guard has seen her because she is right out front, so they don't bother reporting her, and she is often able to stay topless.

Thonging is simpler than going topless, becuase it's not against the law.  So make a few friends.  Ask for a little protection. People will look out for you if they know who you are, so go learn there names and say more than "HI" to them every time you see them.

Do things.  You can get very self conscious if you are just sitting down worrying what other people are thinking. So do as many beach activates as you can.  Go for a run. It takes courage to run down the beach in a thong, but it's rush.  Go run for a mile or so, then swim, and run on back.  Ask someone to watch your stuff when you are gone.  Fly a kite if the beach allows kites.  Best way to find out is to go fly one.

My dad stays busy on a beach by getting old plastic grocery bags and filling them up with the garbage he finds and putting it in the trash. He says it's amazing how many people come up to you and thank you.  My mother kids him that it's so he has an excuse to walk down the beach and check out the girls.  Either way, if people see you removing trash and putting it in the trash cans they will respect you for putting efort into keeping the beach clean. It is nice to be respected.

Make a conscious decision to adopt a bit of beach you like and make friends.  There will be people who are on the beach regularly. It may be the life guards or the staff who work the concession stands, it may be the old couple who come down and set up chairs and read the news paper.  Most beach jobs like being a life guard or collecting the money for the chairs is boring, so they will often welcome a little conversation. 

Set out to make as many friends as you can.  Learn there names.  Maybe even take a pen and paper and write there names down, then use their names when you see them next time on the beach. 

You will feel a lot more confident when you know people and know they don't mind your thong.

Posted else where by Morena123, but I think it was intended to be her own reply to this thread she sharted.
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Everyone on this board is right, almost no one cares, even families with small kids nearby.

I do get the occasional gawkers who try to come up to you (or wait til u leave and do that) which gets annoying.  The young teenage boys get a kick out of coming to see you.

The lifeguards drive buy and have no problem. The only people that seem to let my thong bother them are other women with their man with them, who get jealous. I can understand that, but at least they are respectful and don't sit there and stare, or take sneaky glaces, or make rude comments.

Once someone walked by while my bf was laying out with me and commented on my butt, it made him very angry and he ended up leaving. (I didn't.)

I just don't much like wearing thongs on Jacksonville Beach becuase no one else does!!  Now that it is spring break I don't even want to get up and go to the water, becuase the beach is so crowded and with no one else is wearing them I think my butt stands out. It would be different if I was in Miami, but here its just so conservative that I feel out of place!! 

But I still think it is so much better to wear a thong.  BWT I am 26 but I don't look anywhere over 19.

I want to know what is everyone else's experience around Jacksonville is. Men or women can answer but, I'm mainly lookig for replies from other ladies who have experence on the beaches here.

 Good work Morena.  It takes time and repeated courage to build the self confidence. 

If you do on day have some red-neck or church women say something negative, don't let the one or two bad incidents set you back. Just think of the good days like the ones you have been having. You are your own person, dress to make your self happy and have fun.