G-string

Styles of stringed waistwear

Back	Sides
	Strap	Tie
T-string
G-string
V-string

A G-string (alternatively gee-string or gee string) is a type of thong, 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 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 G-string include the V-string, a thong with a triangle "V" of cloth at the top of the rear, 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 thong 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 Philippines natives. In the "Philippines Islands" entry in the 1911 edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica, the term "geestring" is used. Others say the term is derived from the G-String on a musical instrument, but it may just be an abbreviation of "groin-string". The origin of the word "thong" is from the Old English thwong, a flexible leather cord.

There are a number of intermediate styles between full rear coverage and a string rear. Like the tanga, the G-string is essentially a bottom covering that covers the pubis and leaves the buttocks bared; The term G-string is generally used when the vertical strap in the rear of a thong is no wider than a string. Other similar styles include the brazilian, rio, and T-back (T-string). The naming of the intermediate cuts is debatable, and different vendors use the words somewhat interchangeably.

Commercialization

Popularization in the Western culture

Attitudes to wearing G-strings vary, as is usual with highly revealing clothing. By the late 1980s, the design (for females) 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 fashion styles among women. 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. Although the popularity of wearing thong underwear in America has taken off only in the last decade, in Europe it has been commonplace for many more years.

C-string

There are several variations on the G-string. An example of one variation is the C-string; as narrow as a thong 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. Since there is no material around the waist, the C-string completely eliminates the panty lines which thongs and other underwear create. C-strings are also designed for use as beachwear, which reduces the tan lines that would have been left by the side straps of even a G-string. Removing the side straps also eases donning and removal.

Male wear

In the USA and Europe, the wear of G-strings or thongs by men, was once mainly limited to the dance belt, the posing pouch and the realm of male strippers. 4% of men polled prefer thongs. They are also used by men who don't want visible brief lines, the popular male wrestlers like Hulk Hogan and Kurt Angle don't want visible brief lines under their wrestling suits.

Attitudes

G-string underwear is not without its own controversies. In 2002, an American clothing retailer known for their racy catalogues launched a line of thong underwear marketed specifically at girls aged 13 to 16 years. Several consumer advocacy groups objected to marketing of the thong, claiming they are too sexually suggestive.

Some people in the State of Virginia attempted to pass a law forbidding the exposure of underwear. But it did not become law.

Some county and municipal governments in the United States have passed legislation forbidding G-string swimsuits in public, but most others do not have a problem with sunbathers in thongs, so long as they don't engage in unsavory activities.

The United States Supreme Court held in Erie v. Pap's A. M. that a city ordinance requiring erotic dancers to wear g-strings was constitutional.

In other languages

Australia

only the terms G-string and G-banger are used for both G-strings and thongs, for thongs are a type of rubber sandal/footwear.

South America

dental floss as in Spanish hilo dental or colaless, sometimes the T-like shape of the back.

Portuguese

fio dental; a Puerto-Rican Spanish slang term

Reggaeton artists/music

gistro

Japanese

G-string is widely known as T-back. The sound has been causing some confusion among Japanese speakers with a tea bag, which is also common in today's Japanese dictionaries. However, there are several usages of the term "T-back" in English as well (e.g. Children's literature author E.L. Konigsburg's T-backs, T-shirts, Coat and Suit).

Chinese

the G-string is commonly called dingziku (丁字裤) which literally means "丁 character pants" (or roughly, "T-letter pants").

Lithuanian

"siaurikės" ("narrows")

Italian

"perizoma"

Turkish

"ipli külot" ("stringed underpants")

Dutch

jocularly known as "reetveter" ("ass-lace")

Bulgarian

"prashka" (slingshot).

Israel

the G-string is called "Khutini" (וטיני), from the word Khut, which means String .

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Tanga

A tanga is an undergarment and swimwear for both sexes which has no material around the sides other than the waist band. A string tanga is a type of tanga swimwear which has the waist band replaced with strings which are tied. The term originated from the Kimbundu term "ntanga", meaning loincloth.

This is one item of clothing that cannot be worn in dance competitions under the rules of the IDSF (International DanceSport Federation).

Thong

Thong underwear and swimwear is a style characterized by a thin strip of material along the center of the garment's rear designed to sit between the wearer's buttocks connecting the front or pouch to the waistband behind the wearer. Thongs come in a variety of styles depending on the thickness, material, or type of this rear portion of fabric and are available for both men and women throughout the world. Thongs are similar to g-strings, the main difference being that thongs have more material between the legs and back whereas a g-string has less, usually an actual "string" of material. Retailer FreshPair defines thong as "An underwear style for both men and women with a thin fabric back that rests between the buttocks" whereas a g-string is "A panty with a very thin (string-like) band of fabric in the back."

Jockstrap

Jockstrap, (also known as jock, jock strap, strap, supporter, or athletic supporter), is an undergarment designed for supporting the male genitalia during the performance of sports or other vigorous physical activity.

A typical jockstrap consists of an elastic waistband with a support pouch for the genitalia and two elastic straps affixed to the base of the pouch and to the left and right sides of the waistband at the hip. The pouch, in some varieties, may be fitted with a pocket to hold an impact resistant cup to protect the testicles and/or the penis from injury.

Loincloth

The loincloth is the most basic form of male (or unisex) dress. It has been nearly universal throughout the globe and all human history. The loincloth is, in essence, a piece of material, bark-bast, leather, or cloth, passed between the legs to cover the genitals. Despite this simplicity of function, the loincloth takes many forms.

Girdle

The word girdle originally meant a belt (or metaphorically speaking, something which confines or encloses, as in Tolkien's Girdle of Melian). In modern English the term "girdle" is most commonly used for a form of women's foundation wear that replaced the corset in popularity.

History

Historically and in anthropology, the girdle can be a scanty belt-shaped textile for men and/or women, worn on its own, not holding a larger garment in place, and less revealing than the loin-cloth, as was used by Minoan pugilists.

Constructed of elasticized fabric and sometimes fastened with hook and eye closures, the modern girdle is designed to enhance a woman's figure. Most open-bottom girdles extend from the waist to the upper thighs. In the 1960s, these models fell from favor and were to a great extent replaced by the panty girdle. The panty girdle resembles a tight pair of athletic shorts. Both models of girdles usually include suspender clips to hold up stockings.

Girdles were considered essential garments by many women from approximately 1910 to the late 1960s. They created a rigid, controlled figure that was seen as eminently respectable and modest. They were also crucial to the couturier Christian Dior's 1947 New Look, which featured a voluminous skirts and a narrow, nipped-in waistline, also known as a wasp waist.

Muffin top

Muffin top (or muffin top girl) is a generally pejorative, slang term used for a person, usually female, whose flabby midsection spills over the waistline of his or her pants in a manner that resembles the top of a muffin spilling over its paper casing. This generally occurs when an individual wears low-rise or hip-hugger pants and midriff-baring tops.

In an attempt to avoid this, manufacturers have re-introduced mid-rise jeans, which come up higher on the waist and eliminate the "muffin-top". Mid-rise jeans have proven popular across North America, and manufacturers have also introduced new styles of high-rise jeans. However, the muffin-top is not exclusive to low-rise jeans. Any jeans that are too tight at the waist can cause a muffin-top. In addition, low-rise jeans of the right size usually will not create a muffin-top, but they may slip down.

Muffin-top originated as Australian slang in mid-2003, but has since become popular in other English-speaking countries. It may have been first popularized by the Australian television show Kath & Kim. Australia's Macquarie Dictionary named "muffin-top" the word of the year in 2006; the American Dialect Society named it one of the "most creative" new terms that same year. Muffin-top was earlier used in a different sense (the best part of the muffin) on an episode of the American television show Seinfeld.

An additional derivation is "Split Top Muffin" to describe seeing the "muffin-top" from behind with the jeans so low as to expose the top of the gluteal ridge.

Whale tail

Whale tail is a phrase describing the waistband of a thong or g-string when visible above the waistline of low-rise pants, shorts, or a skirt creating a shape resembling a whale's tail. The appearance of a whale tail is not always intentional.

The word was selected by American Dialect Society (a group of linguists, editors, and academics) in January 2006 as the "most creative word" of 2005 (beating out "muffin top", the bulge of flesh hanging over the top of low-rise jeans.)

A line of pornographic videos was recently released,—called Whale Tail 1, Whale Tail 2, and Whale Tail 3—in which a series of young women display whale tails to young men, who then have sex with them. These films, predictably, include a few anal sex scenes.

The term whale tail may also be used to refer to a large rear spoilers on the trunk lid of a sports car, particularly an older Porsche 911 or occasionally a Mark IV Toyota Supras.

See also Lingerie

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