#WhenInVegas
2018 is the Age of the Swim Thong and my experience in Vegas has shown me that Men can now join in the Swim Revolution. From my experiences, I have shared here and on my IG page, the most monumental and truly liberating experience was in Sin City! VEGAS BABY. From Hotel pool to the Wet Republic Day Club I braved the tides of judgment for revolutionizing men’s swimwear.
I have been experimenting, pushing the boundaries of fashion everywhere I have traveled in the last year and Vegas by far was the most rewarding. Maybe it’s the #whathappensinVegasStaysInVegas vibe or simply put, people are generally happy in Vegas celebrating something right? Why let a guy in a thong ruin that? What I learned is my carefree confidence to strut my stuff added to the magic that Vegas brings out of our ho-hum lives.
I was celebrating a birthday, and just like many times in my young adult life, friends bail last minute, even if you plan a year out. One of my best friends and my brother plus his girlfriend would elect to join along. The whole Vegas idea centered around a discounted stay at the Hilton Grand Vacation for a timeshare brief. I will leave those details at that. However, the hotel was a no frills but clean and accommodating hotel on the North end of the Strip. A little seedy outside the place, but inside, actually quite nice.
The pool was spread out in lagoon like fashion and I was excited to tan some cheeks and test out the Vegas thong experience. The first morning in Vegas I hit the pool. Turns out this pool consisted of mostly families. With families around, I have learned their attitude is: don’t-trust-the-guy-in-thong till proven otherwise. Not fair but a reality in America. This was no different, but very quickly people in my space felt that I truly was there for no one but myself. And when my buddy came to the pool to join me, any anxiety over my thong quickly evaporated.
My racy swim attire has not been truly expressed to my brother, however, much less his girlfriend, so that was actually a stressor for me on this trip. But I was adamant, if I can do this with friends and the public at large, I should at least be able to have a conversation with my brother about it. He has seen that I do wear thongs, and tights and I would say he wasn’t completely surprised but took some getting used to. His girlfriend, silent as usual, but I did come out and say “Hey I can go change if this is making you guys uncomfortable” but nope, my brother and his girlfriend supported me. I recommend to start a conversation about it. Let them have the green light to expressing concerns or support. What a relief.
The next day, my buddy and I went to Wet Republic. Now, I have worn swim thongs all over in public, but never to a club. This IS the place where people can kick you out BECAUSE THEY CAN. That fact was intimidating, so I reached out over email to the club to ask about thongs on men. I was given the green light as long as it was “tasteful.” FAIR enough right? I chose to wear my JOR Sunny Black Thong, somewhat conservative back and front, but still undoubtedly a thong. HERE WE GO.
With shorts and a t-shirt and a bag of our stuff we arrived. As we got closer, I didn’t realize the fact you really can’t bring ANYTHING with you into the club. That means no clothes other than a swimsuit. This was the moment of truth where I had to strip in line, store our clothes, sunscreen, wallet and phones with the club and then proceed to be frisked for contraband.
There were a couple of smirks as me and my cheeks were just hanging out in line with my buddy. Within seconds of actually entering the club, all eyes were on me and I could feel that I was now in the spotlight making a statement. This was the moment of uncertainty. Did I really outdo myself this time? Was I going to be asked to leave because someone complained about me? Was I going to be the butt(pun intended) of everyone’s joke that day? Even my friend, kept a little distance from me to watch the situation unfold.
The fog of uncertainty was broken when this girl and her friend came up and grabbed my butt and said “I LOVE YOUR SUIT!!!” The rest was history.
I was invited to private cabanas, asked to take pictures with bachelorettes, dudes who at first snickered were dumbfound at the amount of female attention I was getting. A girl who was, literally, across the entire club pointed at me and forced her way through the pool and booze to find me and tell me she had never seen someone so self-confident in her life. This was no hyperbole, but women were literally craving and competing for my attention. It got to the point where I had hands all over me in the pool and couldn’t keep track of whom they belonged too! INSANE.
My buddy, now was my ambassador, directing the flow of traffic to the aura of the Swim Thong Guy. He was the Remora to the wake of girls flocking to our space and had met some girls in the process. UN-FREAKING-BELIVABLE.
Best birthday of my life. That moment, in the sun, music, booze, and women flocking to me because I wore a swimsuit that people have laughed at me for wearing. Vegas not only accepted my swimsuit, it worshipped it.
If ANY of you readers out there STILL haven’t found the fortitude to go out and wear a swim thong or bikini in public- Please do. And if you need a place to do it, Vegas is it hands-down the best place I have been. It was one of the most liberating experiences of my life and I look forward to hearing your stories.
Heck, maybe I can get my boss here to throw a UNB get together in Vegas. Who wants a piece of the magic? Follow me @yourfavoritestallion
