When is it okay to wear a thong?

General
1

Thongs are my preferred swimsuit style, but wearing one can be a source of anxiety. I often worry that someone is going to take issue with my choice of attire.

In the past, I erred on the side of caution. Unless I was confident that a thong wouldn’t cause a stir, I wore a swim brief instead.

These days, I follow a more relaxed set of personal guidelines when deciding whether or not to wear a thong.

  1. Follow the rules
  2. Wear appropriate swimwear

Follow the Rules

If thongs are not allowed, it will usually say so in the rules.

In the United States, one may need to review the state, county, and city codes before wearing a thong. And some public facilities may have additional, more restrictive rules. Thongs might be allowed on city beaches, but not at city pools.

Private facilities have their own dress codes. Rules are typically posted on their website or on signage.

Public Places

It is rare, though not unheard of, for governments to explicitly prohibit thongs.

G-strings, T-Backs, “dental floss” style, and thongs are prohibited in public. Body paint, body dyes, tattoos, and liquid latex or similar materials are not considered adequate coverage pertaining to the specified anatomical areas.

Myrtle Beach, SC Sec. 5-30

Instead, laws will typically forbid exposing one’s “buttocks” and/or “anal cleft” in public.

(a) It shall be unlawful for any person to indecently expose his or her person by being naked, which shall include the act of sunbathing naked, at a public beach, public park, on property owned by the city, on any beach frequented by the public, the waters adjacent to any beach, or at any public place, within the city.
(b) The following definitions shall be used in this section:
(1) Naked shall mean insufficiently clothed so that the person has not covered, with a fully opaque covering:
a. The male or female genitals; or
b. The male or female pubic area; or
c. The male or female anal cleft; or
d. The areola of the female breast, and any portion of the female breasts below the top of the areola.
(2) Public place shall refer to any location frequented by the public where the prohibited act of being naked may reasonably be expected to be observed by others.
(3) Adjacent to any beach shall mean in such proximity to a beach frequented by the public that the act of being naked may reasonably be expected to be observed by others while present at a beach.
Sarasota, FL Sec. 10-3

Some governments have special rules for adult entertainment venues and places that serve alcohol.

No person shall expose to public view his or her genitals, pubic area, vulva, anus, anal cleft or cleavage, or buttocks or any simulation thereof in an establishment dealing in alcoholic beverages.

Crescent City, FL Section 12.35

Although they look similar to public exposure laws, those regulations do not apply to beaches and parks.

Private Property

Private facilities can enforce their own dress code. Most of the time, if thongs are not allowed, they’ll say so in the rules.

Bathing suits must be family friendly, all thongs and revealing attire will not be permitted within the facility.

If it is strongly implied, though not directly stated, that thongs are forbidden, I may ask the staff for clarification about the policy.

Wear Appropriate Swimwear

Appropriate swimwear is clothing that:

  • Is made for swimming
  • Covers the genitals
  • Is completely opaque

If a swimsuit is even a little transparent or it requires frequent adjustment, I don’t consider it to be appropriate for environments where swimsuits are required. I’d rather not be on the verge of indecent exposure.

Conclusion

Assuming I have followed the rules and am wearing an appropriate swimsuit, I generally do not expect any problems. Occasionally, there are unwritten rules. In that case, it has, in my experience, only resulted in a polite request to wear something else on subsequent visits.

All that said, there are unreasonable people in the world. Use your best judgement and avoid dangerous situations.

What is your philosophy about when it’s okay to wear a thong swimsuit?

4 Likes
3

Hi

I am from Switzerland and it is interesting to compare the situation.

As far as I know, here there are no rules from the government side about wearing thongs.

Some locations have their own rules. For example that the swimming suit must be appropriate. What it means is not very clear. Mostly these rules are given for indoor swimming.

Another thing is the common acceptance of thongs by other guests. Women can wear thongs almost everywhere. Hardly any man wears a thong in public and it needs a little courage.

My approach is not to wear thongs in crowded areas or places with much families. Not because of the children but because of the parents. Also being together with my family or friends is a reason to avoid thongs.

But there are so many other occasions where I don’t want to feel too much shy. Remote lakes on the mountains, on early morning or late evening, on cloudy days with few people or at the border of the relaxing area are invitations to wear this type of swimsuit which gives me a sexy feeling.

Sorry for my bad English

4 Likes
4

Thanks for sharing your perspective, @John. It’s always interesting to hear what things are like in other parts of the world. I think that is a well reasoned approach.

If there are other people around, I actually feel more comfortable in a crowd. It’s easier to blend in, and I feel like people are less likely to be confrontational.

2 Likes
5

Thong wearing, for me, is about having the confidence to wear a thong. For that reason, the majority of my thongs are quite conservative single colour offerings from J Snyder and Olaf Benz. I purposely don’t wear multi coloured in ya face thongs as I feel this might attract unnecessary attention. The other vital thing to do is to behave very normally and not to behave in a way that creates attention. That could include loud look at me behaviour or rather sheepish furtive behaviour, both of which might cause attention. Often, I find that the single biggest impediment to my wearing a thong is my own brain. I think I’m getting that sorted now but it took me some time!

7 Likes
6

I like to wear my thongs or gstring. If the authority or facility has a problem with it, they will need to muster the courage to speak with me about it. Almost always, no one cares.

5 Likes
7

Very well said… I could copy and paste that for how I feel as well…. Happy to report that I’ve been doing my daily lap swims in Desmiit and OrocoJuco thongs exclusively since Covid started. 2 differ indoor and 2 different outdoor pools with absolutely now issues at all. I feel my success comes from all the reasons you listed. Rather conservative thongs, normal behavior, and always friendly to others…

4 Likes
8

:100:

At the end of the day, if you are a considerate person, that is what most people will remember.

3 Likes
9

Mrs B and I are off to Cyprus next week. We’ve been imposing ourselves on a dear friend who moved there over 18 years ago now. I’ve always worn thongs with increasing confidence over the years and I’ve come to realise that it greatly helps being in the visible company of my wife and our friend and his wife. Other people will see me in my thong or g and three other people and think that if it’s ok with the other three it’s ok for all. It gives me a real confidence All I now pack for Cyprus is my Olaf Benz thong and a Snyder g-string. Oh, and the weather’s really good too. Bliss!

3 Likes
10

Am I reading this that you will be in a thong amongst three people not wearing thongs, or that the four of you will be in thongs? I can see four people dressed similarly being more of a chance to normalize than one person.

1 Like
11

Sorry for not being clear. I was trying to say that I am the only thonger and being with the three of them in a totally normal beach setting gave me the confidence I need. Might not be the same for everyone of course but certainly makes me feel much more relaxed about it. Best wishes

1 Like
12

Thank you for the clarification.

I remember when goatees first became popular, and it seemed to be okay for one man in a group to sprout hair around the mouth, but not two. Then, all of a sudden, most of us had goatees, at least for a while. I imagine that things will take some time before acceptance, but they might have their moment where seemingly everybody wears one before settling into a “no big deal” clothing item. Popular history tells us that one episode of “Moonlighting” made boxer shorts the fashion style overnight. I think the right man and woman in a thong may tip that scale.

1 Like
13

I wear thongs whenever I can, honestly, now that family and friends have embraced it. I do think very carefully about the specific beach we’re going to and the communities and people that frequent those beaches before I make my decision to wear a thong. To be clear, wearing thongs is completely within our rights, but there will, unfortunately, always be people out there who can’t mind their own business and need to absolutely ruin your day.

There have been a few times, maybe 2-3, when complete strangers have verbally accosted me about what I was wearing, once in a thong, the other two times I was in a swim brief. The automatic assumption is that I was a pervert or a “groomer.” One of these individuals pointed to whom I assume was their teenage child claiming I was indecent (I was in an Arena swim brief). This teenager was wearing a thong bikini. I was absolutely dumbfounded.

If I’m not feeling the vibe of the crowd, I skip the thong and use a brief. I have cheekier briefs too if I’m uncertain and want to test the waters, so to speak.

2 Likes
14

Was the teenage child male or female? I assume female. If they were male, I would have been extremely perplexed.

2 Likes
15

Learning about the attitudes toward thongs in other countries is fascinating to me. Thanks for sharing your insights, and there’s no need to apologize for your English. It’s far better than my attempts at any other language. I had the wonderful opportunity to spend some time in Switzerland this past summer, mostly in Lucerne. Unfortunately, I did not have the opportunity to do any swimming. I hope to visit other locations in your beautiful country someday.

1 Like
16

I’m not the type to push the issue of wearing a thong. I save mine for beaches at which I know it’s a nonissue. Even then, I’m not going to wear a g-string or bulge suit unless I’m at an adults only or clothing optional beach. It’s just not worth getting verbally or physically accosted in order to wear my favorite swimsuit.

Layering is a great option for me. I’ll wear a thong underneath my swim brief, and lose a layer when and if I feel comfortable.

When I do make the choice to wear a thong, I adhere to the guidelines several of you have already shared. Specifically, I agree that acting “normally” is important: no unnecessary adjustments in front or back, dousing myself in water, seductively applying sunscreen, etc. Similarly, I try to set up space in areas where there are more couples and singles and fewer families, and I keep my eyes peeled for fellow thongers while still affording them space as well.

4 Likes
17

Hi, @SXMThonger.

Thanks for a really good post. Totally agree with everything you’ve said. Keep it normal and always be aware of the vibe around you. Best wishes.

2 Likes
18

Thanks, Mark! I love reading everyone’s stories and insights. I hope you and Mrs. B have a great time thonging in Cyprus. I’ve never been, but I had a great time thonging in Mykonos two years ago. That’s such a beautiful region of the world, and the food is amazing! Enjoy!!!

1 Like
19

Generally, I contact an adults only hotel or a hotel with at least one ‘adults only pool’ beforehand and ask if thong swimsuits are permitted to be worn while using their pool and hot tub. Most of the time, the responses are very positive, but sometimes the answers I receive are vague or I receive no reply at all. Even then, I bring along a swim brief in case the vibe is not as chill as I had hoped.

The beach I usually go to (Laguna Beach, CA) technically does not allow thong swimwear, however, I pay it no mind unless I can’t find a spot with no families around and then I will sport a swim brief. Occasionally, I will hear people laughing at a distance from me, but sometimes I will hear some nice comments.

I conduct myself as if thonging around strangers is normal, and the rest usually takes care of itself.

5 Likes
20

I’ll wear a thong anywhere it’s legal. It’s just the skimpiness that changes. If it’s more of a public pool or if I’m with family, I’ll wear a Muscleskins with 1/2" sides. Any other times at the beach/pool, it’s a Skinzwear or Tangaland g-string.

5 Likes