So I wanted to build off of UNB Tim’s post from June 14 discussing a swim brief/thong challenge. I have had the opportunity over the past month or so to wear a few different styles of swimwear out on the beach. I know (NOT THONGS) you’re all wondering why I would do that, so I’ll explain a bit. A few of the beaches around the area are not thong friendly, and I have to either wear a regular bikini, a swim brief (speedo) or submit to wearing some form of shorts. Since I LOVE my tan lines, I tend to stick with something as close to my usual thong style as possible.
A few weeks ago, my daughter wanted to go to the beach while she was home from college, and we combined the beach trip with a daddy/daughter day trip. We did a couple of things and then hit the beach. As I already knew that the city of Virginia Beach, VA is not thong friendly, I packed my Joe Snyder Bulge Boxer in wet look black as I knew it would be safe for me to wear on the beach there. When we arrived at the beach and picked out a spot, I quickly set up our chairs and towels, and slid out of my shorts and settled into my chair. Nobody around us blinked or batted an eye as I sunned in the tiny suit. I even got up several times with my daughter, walking along the beach, and also took a dip together to cool off. Once again, nobody gave us the first look, glare, or made me feel otherwise uncomfortable.
A week or so later, after my daughter left to go back to school, I had a doctors appointment at the beach. I decided to try my luck and see how I did in the same location with a different suit. Once again, no thongs allowed-this time I picked out a more daring suit, my Joe Snyder Bulge Bikini in the new blue lines fabric.
After my appointment was over, I made my way to the beach, set up my chair and towel, and stripped down to my new suit. As it wasn’t a thong style rear, I knew I’d be ok in Virginia Beach again, but I’m not gonna lie, it still shows off quite a bit of your cheeks, so I was still a bit apprehensive about wearing it on such of a conservative beach. Once again I was very pleasantly surprised. Nobody paid the first bit of attention to me, neither by staring at me, making any rude comments/gestures, or complaining about my suit. I spent a few hours sunning on my front and rear without incident.
Fast-forward to today-my daughter is still away at school, and my wife hasn’t felt well, so I decided to head to a different spot to catch some sun. I chose to visit Buckroe Beach in Hampton, VA. I thought that it was also a no-thong beach, once again I packed my Joe Snyder Bulge Bikini in the new blue lines fabric since I had already had a successful trip with it. When I arrived at the beach park, I walked north of the pier and set up my chair and towel. I slid off my shorts and settled into my chair for some sunrays. Immediately I noticed the same lack of stares, comments, or lack of comfortableness many of us associate wearing a small suit on a public beach. I felt comfortable in this bikini today at the beach, even being amidst a large crowd of people. Nobody pointed, laughed, took pictures, or anything. I spent all afternoon today at the park, alternating between sunning and swimming in the water. I even felt comfortable enough to pull the suit up and expose a little more of my cheeks (to minimize the impact on my tanlines of course). When I got ready to leave for the day, I noticed a police officer parked watching over the beach. I have to complement the department on this gentleman’s professionalism as I approached him to inquire about the legality of thongs on this beach. He quickly informed me that there was no ordinance against thongs in general, that they saw a limited number every year, and that there was no parking rule prohibiting them. I even asked if it was ok for men and women to thong there to which he told me yes! I can’t wait to go back there and sun my cheeks in a thong!
I wanted to share these experiences with everyone because I know there are a lot of people reading the blog who are very apprehensive about wearing a swim brief or thong for the first time. I want to encourage each of you to try it. Maybe it doesn’t need to be around friends or family the first time, or in your front yard while washing your car or doing yard work, but if you are interested in wearing something out of the norm you should go for it. People, in general, are not anywhere near as mean as you think they are and will be much more accepting than you think. I have found that beaches that are mixed with various cultures will be much more open to different swimwear styles, and beaches that are full of the same type of people (big trucks, flags, board shorts) may be less accepting of what you decide to wear. Either way, be sure that you ask questions if you are unsure if a specific type of swimwear is “legal” at your beach do your research first. Ask a police officer, or if you’re anxious about sparking that conversation, either call or email your questions ahead of time. PLEASE don’t take advice from me as comprehensive legal council-do your own research! I mainly wanted to share my positive experiences over the past several weeks wearing minimal swimwear and interactions with others. Please don’t think that the police or beachgoers are out to get you ask questions, be friendly to others, and just act natural and nobody’s going to make a big deal out of your swimwear choices. Drop us a line here and let us know about how your first (or 100th) experience goes this summer wearing a new suit. I am also available on IG (unb_ryan) or twitter (unb_ryan) if you have any questions or wanted to tell me about your experiences there!
Gregg Homme never does “novelty” underwear. However, that doesn’t mean they don’t make fun underwear. One line that I liked when I saw it in Vegas is the Super-Ero line. This vibrant color blocking design is made with our exclusive super fine hyper stretch knit that is soft and slightly sheer. I mean, what would a fun pair at Gregg Homme be without some slightly sheer fabric?
