Bikinis are making a come back and we asked two of our favorite bikini lovers to sit down and talk about Bikinis. They are Bikinisnthongs and UnderwearDude from Twitter. It’s also a plus that one is straight and one is gay. So you get a unique perspective on the topic. Here is the conversation we had with the two bikini fans.
UNB TIM : You both are big bikini loves and have a strict view on what is considered a bikini. Give me your definition of a bikini
Bikinisandthongs: Bikinis are a version of a brief. A bikini is defined more by what it doesn’t have than what it does. It doesn’t have a functional fly or a defined (typically elastic band) waistband. The size of the sides or the amount of fabric doesn’t matter. They usually have higher cut legs and sit lower than the hips.
Underweardude :My definition of a bikini is like Chris mentioned, a brief variant influenced by women’s underwear that regularly features much less or no material covering the legs compared to more traditional briefs.
Bikinis are the sometimes fashionable, sexualized versions of the basic brief. Echoing Chris, a bikini is not really about function. It is quite simply form over function.
UNBTIM: What brands do you think are making the “classic bikini”?
Underweardude: Well to me, I don’t have too much experience with the classic bikini as I favor it’s skimpier cousin the “string”bikini. A lot of “fashion briefs” these days might be nearly considered classic mens bikini style. If we define the bikini in that regards, as something similar to, say, the Jockey Elance bikini brief,
If I asked the average joe on the street about my skimpier briefs, I bet most would call them bikini over briefs. They look far more in common with say, the stereotypical leopard print bikini briefs that Len Quagmire of Family Guy wears, than to the much more coverage provided by traditional briefs.
To me, with the rise of the “Mini brief/Fashion brief” for all intent and purpose taking the place of the old school style bikini, most styles marketed as a “bikini”, except for mass market varieties, are more styled as a “string bikini”, with practically zero leg coverage.
Bikinisnthongs
When I think of “classic bikini”, I definitely think back to the Jockey Elance bikinis. I don’t think there are many brands still making those today. However, I do think some come close – Calvin Klein, Fruit of the Loom, and Jockey.
There are many brands that make a true bikini – not a low-rise brief with a waistband and not a string bikini with no leg coverage: N2N, Cover Male, Joe Snyder, PPU, Gregg Homme, Private Structure, Ergowear, and Good Devil are brands that I own. More often than not, I see these pairs marketed as “briefs”.
Perusing the underwear sites, it does seem like the low-rise briefs and string bikinis are becoming more and more popular, edging out the true bikini styles.
UNBTim: Its funny you guys mentioned it but Jockey just “rereleased” the Elance. What do you feel is making less companies make a true bikini? Why do you guys thing the “mini brief/fashion brief” are edging out bikinis?
Bikinisnthongs
I think there are a couple of reasons for this trend.
First, in American culture at least, bikinis have somewhat of a feminine stygma. Men, especially straight men, are more likely to purchase and wear underwear that looks more masculine. This is where the low-rise/mini/fashion briefs come in.
Second, it comes down to marketing. The waistband of men’s underwear has trended towards showing off the brand name — sometimes to an obnoxious extent. True bikinis don’t have a waistband, so the designer isn’t getting the same advertisement when guys wear their pairs.
UnderwearDude
I feel that fashion briefs are edging out bikinis is for the same reason why jocks are edging out thongs: They are closer to the norm. Fashion briefs can always be thought of as, just briefs, not something sexualized, while bikinis have a different vibe around them at all times. They are also a smaller incremental step towards skimpier pairs, and are also perhaps more readily available. Jocks may not have been very popular/utilized for daily wear for very long, but they have been a mainstay in a decent number of men’s lives for quite a while, unlike thongs. It’s simply a sense of familiarity. Most guys might have a pair of “sexy briefs” over a bikini brief simply in that they can defend it as just being briefs. Basically bikinis can give off a “player” vibe, where fashion briefs can much more easily defended.
UNBTim: What advice would you give a guy wanting to try bikinis for the first time? What should he look for? What brands would you recommend?
UnderwearDude
It all depends on his comfort level and what he’s looking to get out of them. Is he looking for something extravagant and flashy? Something sexy? Or just something just out of the ordinary, a slight variation to his everyday wear.
Even in my repressed part of the country you can find bikinis, but you have to look hard to find them. Personally, I would look for pairs marketed as “Sports Briefs”, as those can be excused as workout wear. I’d start with pairs more closely connected to briefs, and slowly make my way towards more string bikini esque pairs, though those can be a good place to start and possibly stay as well. Staying away from pairs with smaller backs would also be a good start. Where to begin, brand wise? Well, not too many manufacturers make a good sensible starter bikini (not super skimpy, no extending pouch,etc).
Cin-2 makes sport briefs, but some would not call that a true bikini. Many bikinis, even if meant for everyday wear, are a bit flamboyant, like Cocksox. What I would do, if buying online, would go to a big retailer’s bikini section,and look at the best sellers list. Judging by quick glances at a couple of them, many of the best sellers are actually quite sensible pairs. If you look at best sellers lists on most websites, most of that stuff is actually quite reasonable. Not all bikinis are super skimpy half backs. Many of them are just slightly different versions of regular briefs, and make trying bikinis a little bit easier.
I hate it that I don’t have any particular pairs to recommend for a first timer. I own quite a few great bikinis, but due to colors, cut, or pouch they may not be suitable for most guys starting out. I will say this though. Pick something you like the look of. Pick something that’s in your comfort level, either skimpy or sensible, the most important thing is get a pair that you think you will like.
Bikinisnthongs
My main advice for a guy wanting to try a bikini for the first time would be to not be afraid to pick something outside his comfort zone. Don’t worry about what other people will think or say, nobody has to see you wearing it. Besides, wearing bikini underwear does not make you gay. LOL
It’s only one pair. If you don’t like it, you don’t have to wear it again. But if you do, you’ve started down a journey that could leave you feeling more confident and sexy.
He should look for a pair that is as daring as he’s willing to go, without spending too much money. A first pair shouldn’t cost $30. It’s difficult to justify spending that much on one pair, first pair or three hundredth pair. 😉 I would recommend that he not try a cheap pair that is 100% cotton as it probably won’t fit well.
If he wants to let his junk hang freely, then he should look for pairs that have ergonomic pouches like Andrew Christians Almost Naked line or the Obviously brand. If he’s got a meatier/more muscular butt and wants to show it off, then he should look for pairs that have less coverage like Joe Snyder, but be careful since these pairs tend to have less room in the pouch.
Other brands that I would recommend for a good quality bikini are N2N Bodywear, Cover Male, Aussiebum, and Ergowear.
We hope you enjoyed this conversation. We look forward to doing a Thong conversation soon. Find both Bikinisnthongs and UnderwearDude on Twitter
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