The history of the thong

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The history of the thong

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The loincloth, worn thousands of years ago is likely to be the first undergarment worn by humans and it evolved into the thong over the years. Ironically, it was first worn by men in ancient times before it evolved into part of women’s lingerie in modern times. The Egyptians were one of the earliest people to wear this thong-like clothing. The earliest loincloths were made of leather and this was used until the introduction of fabric much later on. The famous King Tutankhamun was found buried with more than a hundred loincloths in his tomb.  

In the middle ages, the loincloth was replaced by a large, loose outfit called ’braies’. This was usually made from linen and is much bigger than the loincloth. The braies is made with a covering at the front that could be buttoned or tied closed.

In modern times, historians trace the thong’s first public appearance to 1939 when New York Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia directed that the city's nude exotic dancers to dress more appropriately.

Fashion designer, Rudi Gernreich was credited with introducing the first modern thong back in 1974. The thong was worn for many years by exotic Brazilian dancers and was very widely worn during the festivals. These tight, tiny thongs grew in popularity during the 80s in South America and were used as swimwear at the beaches. Its popularity and influence spread to various parts of the world in the late 90s.

In the US, the sexy thong only gained wide acceptance in the 90s when exotic lingerie came into the mainstream. Today, the thong is one of the best selling styles of undergarment in the world. The size of the lingerie industry is said to be over US$2 billion a year.

The thong became so popular that there were even songs written about it. The most famous one was of course ‘The Thong Song’ by Sisqo under the Def Soul label. The Thong Song from Sisqo’s debut album ‘Unleash The Dragon’ was such a big hit that it reached number 3 on the US pop charts and sold over 4 million copies worldwide.

Besides the sexy thong, there are also many different types and variants of exotic lingerie available in the market today. Some of the different types of lingerie available include the chemise, camisole, boy shorts, bustiers, corsets, teddy and G-string.

Many designers today have come up with very flamboyant and creative designs and the thongs today are very different from the designs of yesteryears. It is extremely minimalist, erotic and chic. Many women prefer the thong to other types of lingerie because they can wear tight pants without showing the panty line. Besides being extremely sexy, the thong is also comfortable to wear.