Guys' Underwear Blog

By Lee

Although I have already published one thong review, I thought it might be a good idea to introduce you to the variety that exists within the thong world. You might be new to thongs, you might have tried one and not been a fan, or you might be more experienced but be looking for a little variety.

In any case, I am going to try to give you an idea of what is out there, and give you a little background so that some terms I may use in future reviews with be familiar to you.

Originally, men’s thongs were limited to the “dance belt”, used as an athletic supporter for (as the name implies) dancers. This is what gives danseurs (male ballet dancers) that distinctive profile and bulge, with no visible underwear line under their ballet tights!

While this is how they originally gained their start, men’s thongs are now more widely available and accepted and are now commonly worn as day-to-day underwear or (more rarely) as swimwear. Thongs for men are cut differently from thongs for women, often having a vertical seam in the front which creates a contoured pouch. We will talk about the front of a thong in a later entry – for now we will talk about the backs.

Traditional thong
The traditional thong is one in which the fabric of the underwear is part of the waistband, or where the elastic waistband is wider, as with traditional underwear. Traditional thongs can vary in size in both the pouch area and the width of the back, but are typically more conservative (if one could call a men’s thong conservative!).

G-string
The G-string style consists of an elastic string, as opposed to a strip of fabric, connecting the front/pouch and the waistband at back. This is a style which is popularly seen amongst strippers / exotic dancers, and can come in a variety of styles.

Variations on a String:

• A V-string is a type of G-string in which the string is connected to the waistband by a triangle just above the buttocks. Waistband and thong back can again vary in size, but are typically much narrower.

• The T-back is similar in style to the V-string but without a rear triangle. The string connects with the waistband directly to form a ‘T’ shape at back – although it is often pulled down to form a Y. On occasion, the thong back otself will split into the 2 sides of the waistband, which looks even more like  a Y but is still considered a T-back.

• Y-Backs are a hybrid between a Jockstrap, a traditional thong, and a G String – the thong back is more of a string, the waistband is more traditional, but the Y at the back is reminiscent of a jock. These were popularized by 2(x)ist, but are now made by a variety of underwear brands including Rips, Cin2, and Andrew Christian. You may also hear these referred to as Jock-thongs.

• Finally is the C-string – not as common as any described above, until recently these were usually only seen as women’s underwear. These have a similar pouch to a G String, but without the band around the waist, leaving just a C shaped piece between the legs held in place firmly by a flexible internal frame. Since there is no material around the waist, the C-string completely eliminates underwear lines which thongs and other underwear can often create.

Cheeky
This is a more conservative style which covers a little more area, but exposes the bottom part of the buttocks. The women’s version is often called “boy briefs”. This is a crossover between a boxer brief / squarecut, and a traditional thong.

Sling
This is a more extreme version of a thong, and not one that would be typically worn as underwear. You may recognize this one better if it were in a fluorescent lime green, and popularized by the actor Sacha Baron Cohen in the movie “Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan”. Not for the faint of heart – this is a thong that would be worn primarily for fun times at home.

That’s all for now underwear fans! Join me next time as I take a look at the font of the thong – and we will talk about exciting terms such as lifters, enhancers, bulgers… and other fun stuff!