We got a chance to talk to three thong lovers, The Bottom Drawer, BikinisNThongs and UnderwearDude. If you are on Twitter we are sure you have seen any or all of these guys in thongs. We wanted to talk to three real guys who love thongs and have a great conversation about the most overlook style for men’s underwear. A lot who read this blog love them but the general public still lacks acceptance. We talk about a little bit of everything! Enjoy the talk
Thongs for men have been around for a while but in the last 20 years they have started reaching a boarder audience. When did you guys first discover thongs? (such as see them, not necessarily buy them). What was your initial reaction?
The Bottom Drawer: I discovered thongs for men back in college probably 1997 or 1998 when checking out the Undergear/International Male website. By this time I was a couple years into really enjoying string bikini underwear that I wouldn’t say it was a complete surprise discovering them. Of course the question that everyone seems to have “how can a piece of fabric between the cheeks be comfortable?” came to mind. Not that this question did anything to sway my interest in wanting to try them. It was more of a challenge to find the answer to the question and knowing that women seem to be fine with wearing them added to my desire of getting my hands on a pair.
UnderwearDude: I first discovered thongs entirely in middle school, either through the victorias secret catalogue or via the internet. I didn’t see one in the flesh until high school, ha. In regards to the male variety, while I had heard of “banana hammocks” and the strippers that supposedly worse them, I didn’t see any man thong’s till I began to look for new underwear options online sometime around late high school/ early college, so say, somewhere around 2006. I was confused. many of them at the places that popped up earliest on google did look like something a stripper would wear, but eventually I discovered more sensible options. I remember being wired out by them, but found the front look of them to be quite enticing. I read all the reviews I could find on some of the more popular pairs, and was surprised at how many guys liked them.
I’ll admit, that when I first saw man thongs, I wasn’t enthused. I was in the firm camp of the “thongs are for girls unless your a stripper” side. Also, I had heard for quite awhile that many women found thongs super uncomfortable. Many only wore them to prevent VPL So why were guys wearing them? We don’t have to worry about visible panty lines normally.
Bikinisnthongs: Looks like I was the first to discover them. I’m a bit older, so that only makes sense. I saw my first thong in high school, so early ’90s. I was really attracted to the bikini style I saw in catalogs and saved up some money to buy some — asking mom was not an option. I went to the local K-Mart and strolled into the underwear section. There they were! I grabbed what I thought was a 3-pack of bikinis and made my way to the cashier, trying to get out of the store as quickly as possible to avoid any potential embarassment. When I got home to try them on, I realized they weren’t bikinis at all. Confused, I tried them on anyway.
They were tiny, kinda stretchy, zebra striped, and had an elastic string up my butt (the other two pairs were snakeskin and cheetah). That string wasn’t very comfortsble, but I remember the intense feeling of sexiness that rushed over me. I knew I would never be happy in tighty whities again!
Sadly, my parents found them a few months later and threw them in the garbage. 🙁
It wasn’t until college when the International Male catalog mysteriously showed up that I tried a thing again. These were much more comfortable and started my “obsession”.
What made you guys buy them for the first time? Bikinisnthongs mentioned he got them by mistake but when did you go to the store or shop on line specifically for a thong? What brand did you buy?
Bikinisnthongs: Aside from the accidental purchase (which I don’t count), I made my first purchase from the International Male catalog. I wasn’t looking for anything specific. I wasn’t even shopping to buy underwear. I received the magical catalog out of the blue and was flipping through the pages when I came across the underwear section. I was mesmerized — stunned. All of the thoughts of the sexy feeling I had several years ago returned. The thongs for sale were different though. They had more material in the back, so I wanted to try one hoping they were more comfortable. I ended up ordering a couple (and a couple bikinis) from the cotton contour line. I think I still have one of the thongs!
After receiving those, I made several other thong purchases from the catalogs — the Internet wasn’t the shopping haven that it is now. I think my first online purchase was also from International Male/Undergear when they first launched the websites.
Bottom Drawer: Basically the same sex appeal that got me into wearing bikinis. I’ve always enjoyed seeing women in them that when I discovered they were available for guys I wanted to give them a try. Also the desire to answer the comfort question. Like Bikinis ‘N Thongs, I found my first pair at International Male/Undergear. It was soon after I discovered them on their website I made my purchase with some bikinis. Technically it was a g-string I got in red and I think it was branded International Male. Then probably a few months later after deciding that I did enjoy the g-string, I discovered a website selling the Magic Silk brand, which I got a couple traditional thongs from. Then the buying continued as I found other places to buy.
UnderwearDude: I bought them because I was curious about thongs. I really liked how they looked from the front. I was also curious about how they felt, as I had seen numerous rave reviews from guys about how they only wore thongs after trying them. Additionally, getting one was a bit of the taboo in it, as they are usually a girl thing. I don’t have good memory, so this may not be quite true, but I believe my first thong was by Polo Ralph Lauren and was purchased on eBay.
You guys mentioned some great brands you started with. What qualities do you look for when you shop for thongs?
Bikinisnthongs: I’ll admit that I’ve gotten pretty picky about my thongs. Here’s what I look for:
- good, comfortable fabric. No more 100% cotton. They tend not to fit well, especially over time.
- decent width to the back. Gone are the days of a string between my cheeks (probably why I’m not a fan of g-strings!).
- roomy pouch. While I’m not huge, I don’t like to be smooshed either. However, I am not a fan of the latest “torpedo” pouch trend.
- rich colors or interesting patterns.
Or I look for a thong that’s unique, one of a kind.
Underwear dude: The main thing I look at in a thong is the styling. I don’t want a banana hammock style thong, or something outrageous. I like clean lines, a classy look. Color can matter as well. A nice color or color selection on a pair can make all the difference. I also stay away from the G-string subsection of thongs.
Bottom Drawer: I typically look for the more traditional cut thong. Like everyone else, I’m not a real fan of the g-string. Mostly because of how it looks on than comfort. Then I look for back straps at least under an inch wide though if the fabric is right a wider one can still work. Fabrics with a bit of a stretch or soft to the touch are good things to have in a thong too. Again like the rest color and/or pattern selection is a factor.
Now that we know what you guys really like about thongs, have you shared your love of thongs with other guys? If so has it been negative, positive or neutral? Any of those friends wear them or expressed interest in trying?
Now that we know what you guys really like about thongs, have you shared your love of thongs with other guys? If so has it been negative, positive or neutral? Any of those friends wear them or expressed interest in trying?
Bottom Drawer:I’ve only shared my love for thongs on my blog and with my wife and not in person to any friends as of yet. My blogging experience with people has all been positive. Also been positive with the wife :-)! Only personal thong talk I’ve heard is typically a friend inquiring to a woman about how they can be comfortable and nothing more came out of the conversation.
Underwear Dude: I’ve only shared my interest in thongs on social media, mainly twitter and my blog. I think it’s positive, at least to a degree. It’s kinda funny: Quite a few guys say they don’t wear thongs, but guys in thongs seem to be quite popular image wise. Also, a good amount of my blog traffic seems to come from those curious about/love thongs. Since I haven’t ever told my friends about my underwear habits, I have no idea if any of them would be interested in the idea.
BikinisNThongs: I have shared my love of thongs with guys that I’ve dated and even some friends. Some of the guys that I’ve dated tried them for themselves and others haven’t. Some like how I looked in them and some (really only one – he called it “butt floss” LOL) didn’t. I don’t think any of the reactions were negative – more neutral to positive. A couple of the guys that have tried them did enjoy wearing them and still wear them to this day.
Friends are somewhat of a different story. None of them have tried them, as far as I know – at least not as a result of our discussions.
I have also shared my love of thongs on social media. The reaction there is mostly positive. I think that’s because I’m reaching other guys who also have interest in thongs and it something we have in common.
You guys all love thongs and each share it in social more than in real life. How can we make thongs more acceptable for guys to wear? What would be a thong you would recommend for a guy just trying them?
BikinisNThongs: Well, I think a few things need to happen for thongs to become more acceptable for guys. First, society needs to give up on the notion that thongs are for women – not easily accomplished and I have no idea where to begin. Second, major brands need to stop marketing thongs to gay men and strippers. They also need to design pairs that most men would actually wear. Third, thongs for men need to be marketed to women – get the women interested in seeing their man in a thong and more men will be trying them, guaranteed. Finally, and this is the easy part, thongs should be thought of as the equivalent of a jockstrap without the (sometimes annoying) straps. Thongs are very similar to dance belts. Men in dance and theater were them without shame.
The first pair that always comes to mind when I’m asked which thong a guy should try first is the JM Skinz. It’s comfortable, well made, and a little more conservative. It let’s the wearer have the thong experience without being super self-conscious about what he’s wearing.
Bottom Drawer: Like Bikinis ‘N Thongs said it’s the changing of minds that thongs aren’t just for women and that is both the minds of women and men. The only thing we probably can do is keep doing what we are doing with being a voice that we’re guys that wear thongs and there is no shame in guys wearing them. Again like Bikinis ‘N Thongs mentioned I think it is more in the court of the brands and retailers to turn the tides with their advertising. I agree that there isn’t enough advertising towards straight men, which I did a post on a few weeks back about adding in some female models into the advertising photoshoots. Once again I agree marketing towards women would be a great idea, since they will have a lot of influence on the underwear their guy wears.
I think the Mansilk knit thong is a great first thong. It’s a traditional cut and a nice comfortable fabric. Only issue is that my search for them has them unavailable at several retailers.
Underwear Dude: Getting more guys to wear thongs is going to be tough. You are going to have to make people get rid of the mindset that thongs are just for women, and that they aren’t feminine. Also, you have to show that thongs aren’t all horrid, uncomfortable “butt-floss banana hammocks” as pop culture makes them out to be. As Christ wrote, getting women on board will be a big help. For a beginners thong, I would look for one without a real big, accentuating, push out pouch, unless you are already used to that sort of thing and like it. I would also try a variety of different style backs, until you find the kind you like the best. Can’t judge all thongs by just one pair. Some guys don’t mind wide backs, but can’t stand strings. Others don’t want anything more than a string between their cheeks. I’d suggest a classic pair like a CK Body thong, a 2Xist/Cin-2(if you favor the sportier look), or , really, anything you think you’d like. That’s what really matters.
Continue this talk on Twitter with Find our guys on Twitter: The Bottom Drawer, BikinisNThongs and Underwear Dude. I want to thank The Bottom Drawer, BikinisNThongs and Underwear Dude for taking part of this conversation. We have a few more planned and always looking for new contributors. If you are interested in joining one let us know! email us at info at underwearnewsbriefs dot com
The title may sound odd but 
Men’s underwear is in the process of going mainstream. More and more guys are really paying attention to what they are wearing on a daily basis. This is proven by the growth in our straight readers every year. Yes, believe it or not we have quite a few amazing straight readers. They are just as passionate as gay guys!
