Are Thongs Still Popular?

From G-strings to Brazilians, no matter your favourite style, thongs have a history longer than most other items of underwear. Made infamous in the late 90’s by who can forget it, the Thong Song, the modern-day minimalist garment that is the thong is steeped in history that goes way back further than decade of pop culture.

Believe it or not but the thong has a history dating back to ancient times, although we can imagine that these were a lot less comfortable back then. The now itty-bitty thong had humbler days as the thicker, bulkier loincloth – two pieces of fabric or animal hide tied together to cover a person’s modesty. 

One of the earliest forms of clothing worn by Ancient Egyptians and the Mesoamerican civilisation, the loincloth bears a resemblance to the modern-day thong, although as it was not worn under any other clothing it cannot be classed as underwear. Lucky us, we predict that the loincloth won’t be making a comeback anytime soon. 

The evolution of the thong continued throughout history, however the thong as we know it today didn’t make its appearance until 1939, when the then mayor of New York order the city’s showgirls to cover up ahead of the World’s Fair. To get around this they adopted thongs, and the rest is literally history!

There have been many moments in fashion history when thongs have been fashionable. Coinciding with the sexual revolution of the 1960s women began to embrace their sexuality and sensuality more openly, with women embracing G-strings.  

Now a common sight in summer, thong style bikini bottoms have made a resurgence in the past couple of years. Whilst this style of cheeky swimwear can be associated with modern fashion, the first thong bikini was in fact invented in 1974 by fashion designer Rudi Gernreich. 

When we think back to the 1980s, one of the things that often comes to mind is thong-style leotards popularised by aerobic workout videos. This trend of showing off the hips and derrière continued into the late 80s with the arrival of a well-known American TV show. You may have heard of it? It involves, a bunch of ridiculously tanned lifeguards in thong style one-piece swimsuits and shorts running in slow motion across the beach. 

Thongs have always been a part of fashion history, but it quickly became the fastest-growing underwear style in the category following the release of Sisqo’s Thong Song in 1999. The song that was dedicated to the type of underwear catapulted the thong the underwear fame.

Over the past five years it seemed like our love affair with the thong might have been over. Research from NPD Group reported that thong sales had fallen 7 percent between 2014-2015, whilst other types of underwear such as briefs had increased by 17 percent.  

However, all is not lost for our trusted thong, 2020 saw the re-emergence of a fashion trend of the past. The visible thong or whale tails, whatever you like to call it. Celebrities, models and fashionistas have been spotted displaying their G-strings. It’s not surprising this trend has made a comeback with culture being so invested in all things nostalgic right now. 

Thongs have been and will always continue to be here to stay. With different styles, in a variety of different fabrics thongs are great for shaping the body but also ideal for hiding visible panty lines. The evolution of the thong has also meant that majority of the time you can’t even tell you are even wearing underwear and who doesn’t love that? Fashion trends come and go but thongs will always play a part in our choice of clothing, whether you choose to show them off or not, is your choice.

Feeling the thong? We’ve got thongs in all this season’s hottest shades to keep that booty looking beautiful. Shop underwear here.