Thong

A thong is a type of clothing worn as underwear or, in some countries, as a swimsuit. It is also used for traditional ceremonies or competitions. From the front, a thong looks much like a bikini bottom, but the back has very little fabric. It is designed to cover the genitals, anus, and perineum while leaving most or all of the buttocks exposed. The back of the garment usually consists of a thin waistband and a narrow strip of material that runs between the buttocks, connecting the waistband to the front of the garment. The term "thong" is also used to describe the back design of other clothing, such as bodysuits, bodystockings, leotards, or one-piece swimsuits.

One type of thong is the G-string, whose back is made of only a string, often elasticized. While the terms "thong" and "G-string" are often used interchangeably, they can refer to distinct garments. Thongs come in various styles, differing in the thickness, material, or type of fabric at the rear, and are worn by both men and women worldwide.

A tanga is a pair of briefs with small panels connected by strings at the sides. Tanga briefs exist for both men and women. The style and the word originate from Brazil, where it is Portuguese for "thong."

The English word "thong" comes from Old English *þwong*, meaning a flexible leather cord. Many languages borrow the English word "string" to refer to this underwear, usually without the "G." Another common name is "tanga" (or "string tanga"), especially in German. In Brazil, a common metaphor is "dental floss" (*fio dental* in Portuguese); in English, "butt floss" is sometimes used. In Lithuanian it is *siaurikės* ("narrows"), in Italian *perizoma* or *tanga*, in Turkish *ipli külot* ("stringed underpants"), and in Bulgarian *prashka* (прашка), meaning "slingshot." In Israel, the thong, especially the G-string, is called *khutini* (חוטיני), from *khut* ("string"). In Iran, it is *shortbandi* (شورت بندی), where *short* means "briefs" and *bandi* means "with a string." A Puerto Rican Spanish slang term, used by reggaeton artists, is *gistro*. Some names reference bare buttocks, like the Spanish *colaless*, likely related to "topless" but using *cola* (slang for "butt" in South American Spanish). Other languages emphasize the "T" shape of the back: in Chinese, it is *dingziku* (丁字褲), meaning "T-letter pants"; in Korean, *티팬티* ("T panty"). The term "T-back" is also used in English.

Colloquially, "thong" and "G-string" are often used interchangeably to describe skimpy underwear with minimal back coverage. The main difference is usually the width of the back strap. The *Encyclopedia of Clothing and Fashion* uses the terms interchangeably, defining the G-string or thong as a panty front with a half- to one-inch strip of fabric at the back. Conversely, *Knickers: a Brief History* states that minor tweaks in cut earned different names: the thong has a one-inch strip down the back, while the G-string is more like a string of fabric. Some sources, like *Striptease: the Untold History of the Girlie Show*, claim thongs are a derivation of the G-string. The *Heinemann English Dictionary* describes the thong as a very skimpy style similar to a G-string. *Americanisms: the Illustrated Book of Words Made in the USA* calls the G-string a type of thong invented in 1936 for strippers, consisting of a small triangular piece of fabric connected by two elastic straps.

The thong, like its probable predecessor the loincloth, is believed to be one of the earliest forms of human clothing and was likely worn mostly or exclusively by men. It is thought to have been originally developed to protect, support, or hide the male genitals. The loincloth is probably the earliest form of clothing, originating in sub-Saharan Africa nearly 75,000 years ago. Many tribal peoples, such as some Khoisan people of southern Africa, wore thongs for centuries. Like the Japanese *fundoshi*, these early garments were made with male genitalia in mind.

According to some fashion historians, the thong first appeared publicly in the United States at the 1939 New York World's Fair, after Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia ordered nude dancers to cover themselves. Jacques Heim's and Louis Réard's original bikini from 1946 (which introduced the term "bikini") had a culotte with a thong back. Fashion designer Rudi Gernreich, who created the first topless swimsuit (the monokini) in the mid-1960s, is credited with introducing the modern thong in 1974. He designed a thong bikini in response to a ban on nude sunbathing by the Los Angeles City Council. Attitudes toward wearing G-strings vary geographically and across societies, as is typical with highly revealing clothing. Before entering mainstream fashion, G-strings were primarily worn by exotic dancers.