Personally I don’t think there is a right or wrong way. It’s all down to personal preferences and the style and cut of the thong underwear or swimwear.

Some suits are cut favouring the penis to point up whilst others are down and some both ways!  Most narrow cuts, I find, favour pointing upwards and especially if worn with a cockring. I find also, that pointing upwards with a ring accentuates the bulge especially so when one is aroused, so not recommended for the faint-hearted!

The Joe Snyder g-strings, I find, only follow the natural curve of the penis. However the Rio thongs can suit pointing in either directions. 

My observations purely from personal experiences so not everyone will agree, I’m sure!

Never wear thong with shaft pointed upwards. Only because irrational  women assuming it’s aroused no matter the condition of shaft soft or semi aroused. This can lead to pity and humiliation or upsetting feelings assuming your being exhibitionist. 

She went to complain to management  i had erection which wasn’t the case. Fortunately for me i visited the location many times before and conditioned others to accept my style. They reassured the young women i was normal size, for my bulge display not aroused. They began to question if i spoke to her or commented anything. She answered no.. Yet women manager like the  gal found the issue was peculiar and asked associates to keep close eye on me when i visit. 

Sounds perplexing but women bitter feelings  upon someone can be emotional and irrational behaviour towards true facts at hand. 

Nonetheless i was constantly watched observed only from false accusations months ago. Finally male associated found his  job description to keep kern eye on me whenever i visited uncomfortable and stupid. Saying to colleagues i’m not watching over him as manager asked me to. Don’t want to be accused as being gay watching him get erection.. Only female associates began to take the task exclusively. Only to be asked that they don’t need to constantly watch over me but walk around every so often. 

Had infatuated asian women  i known for decade. Conditioned seeing my shaft point downwards. Certainly she had plenty opportunity to ogle my bulge and gauge conclusions at its size.Making it known to others gossiping it’s too big for her.  One time i had my shaft displayed in 4 o’clock position. She was taken aback blank stare upon my bulge. Assumed she believed i was beginning to be aroused which was not the case. Thought  i committed some sex crime having her distancing herself away afraid to be nearby. 

Your choice for how you dress in underwear versus public thong wearing is probably going to be different.  Might also depend on your tackle.

The up or down question may answer itself! In many pouches the shape won't allow up. Then in many with a generous cut up won't stay up for long. I've found the weight of the cock will try to turn it down by rotation or bending if the cut doesn't elevate/stabilize the base and you'll start up end down. The pouches which point you up all the time seem to be rare now. I own a few butt the waistline has to be high - higher than the head usually. There was a Dore design that I own called a Horizon which had a up directed pouch for the head allowing the waistband to be slightly lower. This lined up your balls and cock up front. A striking look that might be too much some places as a swimsuit.

I have always worn thong and brief swimsuits pointing up. Sometimes maybe at a 45 degree angle but essentially up. I have spent a lot of time talking to people on the beach like that and never any comments to issues. A few times I have worn rather skimpy and thin thongs that when wet cling around me, showing as my wife says “ every thing you have”! I never considered that an issue as long as I was not hard.

I’m mostly pointing down but have found pointing up feels better in pairs that are a bit more form fitting.

I've been in the pointed down camp, (never thought about it really), but after seeing this thread I decided to try up. Not going to work... the head of my penis sticks above the waistband. I'm not that big.. maybe only 4 or 5 inches flaccid (depending on the temperature), but joining the up crowd is not happening for me.

Both swim and underwear always up. Can't even imagine pointed down feels so wrong.

I'm not gifted so to speak but id think one would have to be on the smaller, or grower side to have to point up. I'm team down all the way. If he wants to retract he can do that but he sure as hell won't point up and stay that way....typically the pouches are designed for a downward aim so those suits that accommodate an up-guy gotta be interesting.

Serious question. From the shape of swimwear pouches, all the room seems to be down. And maybe I seem to choose low rise suits, but the waistband is always just above my equipment. If you're going to point up, do you fit it below the waistband, along the side strap? If you point up, are you wearing high rise thongs? And when you walk, move, or swim, do you stay in place? What about if you wear pants with a belt, does the belt sit above everything? I seem to naturally orient to a down position over time, so that's what I stick with. Very curious though, want to hear other opinions.

Hi solar4632 there’s a few good questions in there and I’m similar to you in the sense that I naturally point down. However, as I mentioned in another thread I wore a form fitting thong in a spa and decided to point up which actually felt very comfortable. My head was just below the waistband and I did have it pulled fairly high. My typical fit is low which doesn’t allow for the up direction but it was a nice change and one thing I noticed in the mirror was a flattering look that wasn’t all bulky lower down. Is for wearing jeans with the belt I’d always point down and have my belt above everything. I don’t think there’s any other way you could wear it that would be comfortable.

Up/Down is dictated by the design of the thong front. If it's made with a pouch, especially a deeper one, the only way to fill that is down. Otherwise it looks silly. Some of those pouches are designed specifically for "display" (some even named that) and that's the only way they work. That thing waking on the beach in front of you may be more offensive than a trim, flat upward bulge. And if you don't fill that pouch, well, then you look like you were just wishful. If the front of the suit is shallower or flat with expansion via the material, then either way might work, but my preference is always up. As to the concern if up=arousal...well, that might be a concern sometimes, but not in my case. I'm average, but up doesn't look aroused in my case. I guess if you're huge it could be confusing. If you're swimming you're probably not open for that confusion anyway. I'll just add...to me, the overall design is much more of an issue that the direction. It should look good, compliment the individual, and in my personal preference, not move "off-gender", like as if I'm a guy wearing a woman's thong. Mine are clearly made for men. Match everything up to the individual and his parameters, and you're good. I'm much more bothered by the complete lack of thong-wearing men anywhere except for a few very isolated cases in Europe. Look at some of the YT beach-walk videos. Every other gal is thonging, but not a thong guy anywhere except for the gay beaches, and even then not one or two max. Sorry, that to me beats any up/down problem. That's a wear it or not problem.