Why does there seem to be a stigma attached when guys wear thongs or g-strings? The mentality of “Those are only for females” and “Guys don’t wear that stuff.”
Thoughts?
I think it comes more from women because a man in a thong and if he looks good draws more attention and women do not like to have attention taken away from them in any way, I know of many who like to enjoy wearing a thong but do not like their partner to wear it, they are the ones who set the double standard for convenience. I must also clarify that not all of them are like this and support their partners but they are few. That’s why I will continue to say that if women can wear a thong, so can men, period!
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Interesting perspective. Thank you! 
I wholeheartedly agree with your last statement that if women can wear them so can men!
I think you’re starting from a false premise—that thong swimsuits are generally considered acceptable for women. While they have become increasingly common, many governments and private facilities still prohibit them, regardless of gender. The stigma exists for everyone and, if anything, is disproportionately targeted at women.
Now, when someone believes it’s okay for a woman to wear a thong swimsuit but inappropriate for a man, they’re probably just being sexist. They objectify the woman and enjoy how she looks, so they consider her attire acceptable, but they don’t want to think of men in that way. These are usually the same people who add other qualifiers like, “as long as she’s not overweight” or “but I’d never let my daughter wear one.”
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Thank you @Sam. You definitely have a point! Thanks for your input! Much appreciated
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Its an interesting question for sure. I think it mostly comes down to societal norms. Thongs are the extreme example but there are also stigmas ( in the US anyway) with guys wearing speedos. Heck, even guys wearing 3” or even 5” shorts….
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I totally agree @Nekidntahiti which is sad…
Absolutely! If you look at pictures of a U.S. beach from 100 years ago, the majority of men pictured would be wearing less than they would be today. We’ve regressed that much, while also now expecting men to have better bodies than ever before. It’s insane!
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I think it stands out more on guys. Let’s face it, we’re a rare breed but I’m in the camp of trying to make this normal. I have gotten plenty of looks and snickers but never had a direct negative comment and got plenty of good compliments. 99% of the time it’s the women reacting too if trying to see a point from the woman’s perspective.
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Insane indeed! I totally agree @SXMThonger
I’m totally on board with making it normal to see guys wearing thongs! @HizuruTees
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I think the biggest issue is that conservatives have sexualized the thong. Rather than it just being a garment one wears for more sun exposure, better freedom of motion, etc, wearing a thong is seen by them as a proclamation of sexuality or an invitation for sexual activity. While wearing a thong may make me feel sexy, it’s definitely not sexual. Too many people fail to see the difference between the two.
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Not sure why there’s a stigma but it’s interesting to see how the stigma can wax & wane. Before COVID, there’d be an occasional thonger at the beach over the Sydney summer months & during Sydney Mardi Gras there’d be quite a few guys sunning their buns at the beach. Roll forward to post COVID. Now there’s virtually no other thongers over the summer at all & even during Mardi Gras the most minimal suit is a brief & not a thong in sight. Yet swim thongs for guys sell. So where do guys wear them now? If Insta is anything to go by, there’s stigma around public beaches (at least here) so guys have retreated to private pools & pool parties. Anyone else noticed this?
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Thanks for the input!
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I think the trauma of Covid and the lockdown made some folks appreciate and embrace the little things in life that they might not have done as often before. For example, people were putting up their Christmas trees in October because they needed a little joy in their lives. I know I developed much more of a “carpe diem” attitude about some things in my life, including tanning in a thong on my back deck. It sounds like some of the beachgoers in your area adopted a similar attitude. Unfortunately, it seems they’ve already let it go and returned to the constrictions of everyday life. 
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In reference to the comment of how men wore much less at the beach 100 years ago, I found this article on men’s beachwear in 1925. They were still wearing the singlet or shorts and tank top style swimwear for the most part. By the late 20s and more so in the 30s, men were shirtless. Tighter fitting trunks dried off and drained water better than loose fitting shorts.
I don’t mind men wearing thongs. I may be jaded, but it seems to me that more “influencers” are wearing thongs these days just to keep us watching them. Is that translating to real thong use in the world? Not really sure.
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While men may have technically worn more in 1925 since many still wore singlet style suits, look at the length of the suits and the fit. The inseams were definitely shorter than trunks worn by many men today, and the fit is definitely more snug. As for the upper half, some men were going topless at that point, and those who weren’t were sometimes opting for suits with cutouts on the sides to reveal more of the torso. When you factor in that many men with less than ideal physiques wear a rash guard shirt, tank top, or t-shirt with their long, baggy shorts and don’t take them off in the water, I think my comment is pretty accurate. I think we could most definitely say it is true if we look back seventy years, which is still pretty pathetic in my opinion.
I definitely agree with you in questioning whether or not men’s swim thongs really are making a “comeback” or if it’s just an illusion created by influencers. It’s easy for guys with perfect physiques (and often a sexy spouse by their side) to get away with rocking a thong just about anywhere, when the rest of us likely wouldn’t get the same reception. Based solely on the fact that more manufacturers are adding thong options to their lines (something I didn’t see ten years ago), it does seem that more men must be buying and wearing them somewhere, but I don’t think we’ll ever see them become a mainstream staple on US beaches.
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Here in the glorious UK, anything other than dork shorts or SpongeBob square pants gets looks from anyone around. There are a couple of us pushing the norm with speedos (or even less) in public swimming pools, but generally, on beaches, men wear shorts. It comes down to confidence each man has. Many have lost confidence in what to wear, what is appropriate, and worry about what others will say instead of just living their life and enjoying it.
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Stereotypes have a hard life, and today’s society does not help a change in mentalities. My ex-wife found it “horrible” to see me in a thong. My current wife tells me that she does it but she does not find it very manly. The problem is that at my age, I completely do not care about the opinion of others. I only have one life and I want to enjoy it as I see fit. There are so many women who do not deserve to do it and yet who put it because they are women who do not want to do so and yet who do so because they are women. Women…lol. So yes, if the woman can wear it, the man can too.
It reminds me of the women’s revolution. They fought so hard to make themselves heard and now they act like the men before the revolt. It’s to understand nothing more.
Not too long ago a woman on Instagram asked me if I was gay because I wear thongs. I told her if she was a porn actress or a prostitute because the first ones to show up with a thong were either one or the other. She took my answer very badly and insulted me. I told her, “You see, the stereotypes around this piece of cloth hurt and don’t have to be anymore, so please don’t categorize me either.”
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I agree, and I wear thongs and even g-strings regardless of the likely reaction, as I want to help normalize them. However, I am wary of family-type beaches. The Anglo-Saxon obsession with children can lead to risky encounters. That said, I get plenty of compliments and only very rarely an adverse comment.
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