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G-string
A G-string (alternatively gee-string or gee string) "G-Thong" or thong is a
narrow piece of cloth, leather, or plastic that covers or holds the
genitals, passes between the buttocks, and is attached to a band around the
hips, worn as swimwear or underwear by both men and women. The two terms
G-string and thong are often used interchangeably; however, they can refer
to slightly distinct pieces of clothing: The primary difference between the
two garments is that a g-string has less material between the legs and
buttocks, hence a string-like appearance. Variants of the thong or G-string
include the V-string or G-Thong, a thong with a triangle "v" of cloth with
the G-string between the legs, and the T-string, where a single string
passes around the waist and between the legs, forming a T between the
buttocks.
Origin
G-string or thong is probably the earliest form of clothing known to
mankind; having originated in the warmer climates of sub-Saharan Africa
where clothing was first worn nearly 75,000 years ago. Many tribal peoples,
such as some of the Khoisan people of southern Africa, wore thongs for many
centuries. Much like the 2000-plus-year-old Japanese fundoshi, these early
garments were made with the male genitalia in mind.
Although developed for the male anatomy by primitive peoples, in the modern
West thongs are more often worn by females. They first gained mainstream
popularity as swimwear in South America, particularly in Brazil in the
1970s. In Brazil, where the buttocks ("bunda" in Brazilian Portuguese slang)
are especially admired and emphasized; it was originally a style of swimsuit
whose rear area became so narrow that it would disappear between the
wearer's buttocks. Female strippers and erotic dancers in the west have been
wearing G-strings and thongs during their routines since the mid-1920s.
Etymology
The origin of the term "G-string" is obscure. The term is first attested in
writings by Americans in the late 1800s describing the loincloth of
Philippine natives. In the "Philippine Islands" entry in the 1911 edition of
the Encyclopaedia Britannica, the term "geestring" is used. Others say the
term is derived from the G-string on a musical instrument. The origin of the
word "thong" is from the Old English thwong, a flexible leather cord.
Commercialization and attitudes
Attitudes to wearing G-strings vary, as is usual with highly revealing
clothing. By the late 1980s, the design had made its way into most of the
Western world, thong and G-string underwear became more and more popular
through the 1990s. As of 2002, thong underwear was one of the
fastest-selling styles among women. Fashion trends have changed and sales
results show that the thong underwear for everyday wear is now considered
outdated. One advantage attributed to the wearing of thong underwear is that
no visible panty line can be seen even under a thin, light-colored or
skin-tight garment, which makes for a more attractive appearance. Although
the popularity of wearing thong underwear in America has taken off only in
the last decade, in Europe it has been common for many more years, and is
commonplace today.
Today, there are a number of intermediate styles between full rear coverage
and a string rear. They include the rio, tanga, thong, string thong, g-thong
and microkini. A style that has a narrow band of fabric in the rear that
just covers the cleft in the buttocks is often called a "Brazilian" rear,
because it is often seen at Brazilian Carnival.
In recent years the hip hop and R&B music industry has also helped to
promote the G-string, mostly under its American designation of 'thong', by
composing songs about it and featuring artists clad in them. Artists include
Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and Lil' Kim. One example of music that
popularized this undergarment is the "Thong Song" by Sisqó, which was
released in 2000. G-strings have become icons of pop culture, often with pop
female artists wearing clothing that is so revealing that their wearing of a
thong is obvious. Many younger American females have followed suit,
increasing the popularity of thong underwear.
Male use of G-string underwear, in the West traditionally limited to the
athlete's jockstrap and the dance belt, is currently increasing due to the
popularization by male strippers and/or exotic dancers such as the
Chippendales dancers. G-strings are very popular with male wrestlers like
Hulk Hogan because they don't produce visible brief lines under their
wrestling suits.
G-string underwear is not without its own controversies. In 2002 American
clothing retailer Abercrombie & Fitch, known for their racy catalogues,
launched a line of G-string underwear marketed specifically at girls aged 13
to 16 years.[1] Several consumer advocacy groups objected to marketing of
the G-string, claiming they are too sexually suggestive.
In April 2002, G-string underwear was at the center of a media uproar after
a female vice-principal Rita Wilson at Rancho Bernardo High School in
southern California forced female students to lift their skirts before
entering a school dance, in a so-called crackdown on G-string underwear.[2]
Many U.S. public schools have banned thongs at cheerleading practices.
In May 2003, the head teacher of a British primary school voiced her concern
after learning that girl pupils as young as 10 were wearing thong underwear
to school. This incident led to a media debate about the appropriateness of
G-string underwear and the sexualization of children.[3]
Many beachside municipalities in the United States have legislation
forbidding G-string swimsuits in public. Virginia has attempted to pass laws
forbidding the exposure of underwear.[4][5] This so-called "droopy-pants"
bill passed in the House but was later dropped in the Senate. These actions
were prompted by both the fashion of young women exposing their G-string
"whale tail" and men wearing their pants so low that the pubis was exposed.
On beaches in some European countries, wearing G-string swimwear is fairly
common, especially on the Spanish Mediterranean islands like Ibiza (Eivissa)
and Mallorca, and on some Italian and Greek beaches. Also on Baltic Sea
beaches and in public pools in France and Germany, women and men wear
G-strings or G-string-style one-piece suits such as slingshot thongs.
Although it is likely that this is a consequence of the greater tolerance
for revealing clothing in many European states, there has also been an
increase in demand for male G-strings in the U.S. male population.
C-string
A further design evolution of the G-string has led to the C-string; as
narrow as a G-string but without the band around the waist, leaving just a
"c shaped" piece between the legs held in place firmly by a flexible
internal frame. [1][2]. Since there is no material around the waist, the
c-string completely eliminates the panty lines which thongs and other
underwear create.[3] C-strings are also designed for use as beachwear, which
results in completely eliminating tan lines.[4][5][6]
Strapless pouch
Another variation on a G-string is the strapless pouch. The intention of the
string in a G-string is to support the triangular , or similar, piece of
material covering the genitals. The strapless pouch does away with the
supporting strings and instead is self supporting by means of
elastic/elastic cord at the end of the pouch. In order for a beach goer to
practically wear one however requires removal of the pubic hair (Brazilan
style). One of its drawbacks is that the wearer can be mistaken by other
beach goers as being naked from behind. Another is that if the wearer stays
in cold water for an extended period the self support feature is reduced due
to the body's ability to draw the genitals in towards the stomach. In these
circumstances some assistance must be provided by the wearer's hand for a
small period of time. Obviously because it relies on particular anatomy for
fitting it isn't suitable for women. However for a person accustomed to wear
it after a few attempts it affords an all over tan, removal of the
discomfort of the support strings in a conventional G-string and provides a
"as close to nude as possible" at beaches were G-strings are accepted in
many places in the world (i.e. where the laws require coverage of the
genitals only).
In other languages
In Latin America the G-String is referred to as "Tanga" or "Hilo Dental" (spanish),
and in Brazil and Portugal as "Fio Dental" (portuguese), both of which mean
"dental floss".
In Lithuania the G-string is often called "stringai", or more national name
"siaurikės".
In Lithuania the G-string is often called "G-strengur".
In Italy the G-string is called "perizoma" or "tanga" (in Italian language "tanga"
is a micro-panties).
In Turkey the G-string is called "ipli külot" (ipli means "stringed" and
külot means "underpants") or like in Italy, it is also called "tanga".
In French and German, the G-string is usually called "string", a loanword
from English.
In Puerto Rico, a Spanish slang term often used for G-string is gistro, most
commonly used by Reggaeton artists to refer to the underwear style. Tangas
is also a spanish term used for thong.
In Argentina and Chile, G-String is widely known as colaless. In those
countries, cola means buttocks, thus colaless literally means buttocks-less.
In the Japanese language and also in Cantonese, the G-string is widely known
as T-back, after its shape seen from behind. The sound has been causing some
confusion among Japanese speakers with a tea bag, which is also common in
today's Japanese dictionaries. The term T-back is also commonly used in the
Philippines. However, there are several usages of the term "T-back" in
English as well (i.e., Children's literature author E.L. Konigsburg's
T-backs, T-shirts, Coat and Suit). In other dialects of the Chinese
language, the G-string is commonly called as dingziku (丁字裤) which literally
means "丁 character pants" (or roughly, "T-letter pants").
In Czech, Estonian, Finnish, German, Hungarian, Romanian, Spanish, Serbian,
Dutch and Norwegian the G-string is often called "tanga". In Finnish, the
plural stringit "strings" is used, as they are pants, not a "pant".
In Bulgarian, the G-string is referred to as a "prashka", or slingshot.
In Polish and in Russian the G-string is usually called stringi, which is a
pluralized loanword from English (literally: "strings").
In Australia only the term G-string and g-banger are used. Thongs are a type
of rubber footwear.
In Israel the G-string is called "Khutini" (Hebrew: חוטיני),from the word
Khut, which means String .
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