Ladies Thongs
As possibly the least substantial garment a woman can own, it staggering that in 2006 sales of the ladies thong hit the $2 billion mark. It is a statistical fact that since the turn of the 21st century, no garment of women’s clothing has experienced such a boom as the ladies thong.
The ladies thong, ironically, actually finds it’s history in the most primitive of fashions – the loin cloth, an item traditionally associated with men. Today’s thong is not a great variant on the only item of clothing worn by prehistoric man and the design concept remains the same; shielding the necessary private areas using as little material and craftsmanship as possible.
It was really in the 1990s that thongs became an acceptable choice of lingerie for the average woman. Ladies thongs managed to make the transition from being associated with strippers to the biggest fashion houses in the world, as their undeniable ease of wearing and usability became well known. Perhaps the greatest help in the emergence of the thong was a syndrome known simply as “visible panty line” (often shortened to VPL). As trousers and skirts became tighter, the material stretched across the buttocks all to often showed the exact outline of whatever underwear the woman in question was wearing. A complete fashion faux pas, the industry turned to thongs to combat VPL and an industry was born – in fact, it is now so popular that it is estimated that 40% of women choose thongs as their day-to-day lingerie.
The very definition of thong is the back strip of material, which is designed to sit in between the buttocks. The thong began its popular life as swimwear and, when the ease of it was recognised worldwide, made the transition to underwear for general use. The size of the material at the front of the ladies thong can vary depending on the wearer, depending on the level of modesty they wish to achieve.
The thong has, in recent years, firmly found a place in popular culture. This perhaps began with the ridiculous song by American singer Sisqo, whose late-summer anthem “Thong Song” was for some reason hugely popular and unavoidable on radio stations in September 1999. The song spoke of Sisqo’s appreciation for the ladies thong and women who wear them. Also, the release of the film “Bridget Jones’ Diary”, based on the bestselling novel by Helen Fielding, had Bridget calling any item of underwear that wasn’t a thong “granny pants”. Many Antipodean comedians have also created material from the fact that in the southern hemisphere a “thong” is what the UK calls a “flip flop”.
Despite it’s obvious popularity, the ladies thong has not been without controversy. Several schools and colleges have banned pupils from wearing thongs and retail outlets such as Argos and Etam have been lambasted for manufacturing thongs designed for girls as young as seven.
However, the ladies thong prevails and is set to become even more popular – and so it should, due to its vast assets. Not only does the thong reduce so-called VPL, it has other benefits including minimization of tan lines, the fact it does not ride up and – despite not looking it – is recognised as one of the most comfortable items of lingerie available. The thong, it would seem, is here to stay.