4 Things about Thongs

Fancy lingerie has been a thing since Eve first realized an appropriately positioned fig leaf could catch Adam’s attention. OK, maybe we don’t know when the first woman (or even if her name was even Eve) decided her nether region protective wear could be pretty.

But we do know that lingerie has been a “thing” for centuries. Thongs are newer on the underwear scene, with some fashionistas crediting their appearance with a mayoral action involving 1939 World’s Fair entertainers and others saying it was the 1970s when the skimpy set of drawers emerged on the beaches of Brazil.

Once scandalous, it’s now hard to miss the piles of thongs at big box department stores, peeking out of some low-riders, and up front in music videos. There are even thongs sized to get you through pregnancy.

Some mothers consider the appearance of a thong in their daughter’s laundry hamper as a sign of either sexual activity or hope of same and take it as a sign that it’s time for “the talk.” (Let’s hope most of them don’t use the laundry as their guide to when to communicate with their kids, but that’s a topic for a later blog.)

If you’re a regular wearer of these flimsy scraps of material, or the guardian of one – here are four thongs you need to know:

1. Size matters: wearing thong that’s too tight isn’t just uncomfortable, it can cause skin irritation and even lead to infection.
2. Material things: silk is sumptuous, and lace is pretty, but cotton is your friend when it comes to material that’s safest to snuggle twixt your cheeks.
3. Triangulation: cotton crotches are a nice nod to proper fabric, but don’t really give you the coverage you need, plus, if they’re covered on one side by silk or rayon or another nonbreathable fabric, the tiny cotton triangle isn’t really helping.
4. Proximity: Thongs are up close and personal with your vulva, vagina and anus, and that means fluids and other things are easily transferred along that thin strip of fabric. That means bacteria – including E.coli – can easily travel from one cavity to the next.

None of these things mean you can’t wear thongs safely and sexily. Just be smart. Make sure they fit, save the sexy silks and rayons for short-term wear and go with cotton for daily use; keep things as clean as you can and thong safely on, ladies.