If you read Cosmo, and I know you do, you would have noticed that February has an article titled “The Thong is Dead!” Jessica Knoll takes us through some history and background of the thong, and why men may be turning cold to the scandalous panties. I first heard of this article on the morning radio, with people calling in to agree or disagree. I actually bought the magazine for the article.
What struck me wasn’t whether or not guys were into thongs anymore, but whether business had been affected by more than just fashion to deem the thong “out”?
There is the Recession after all. And now it’s officially in caps.
Summaries from the article:
Victoria’s Secret revolutionized the business by its runway shows. And of course celebs made a point of sporting them as visible fashion, as if thongs were like Superman underwear worn over pants(my opinion). Technology has actually made advances for alternate NVPL (No-Visible-Panty-Lines) undies with mesh fabrics finished off with a laser.
So the need went out the window, right? Time to move on to the boy short…
But I started thinking about how women may have changed their shopping habits due to tightened budgets. Could shopping habits drastically change a fashion staple such as the thong?
Maybe not, but here are some of my theories:
- We’ve had to start buying in bulk. When you go to Giant-Bulk-O-Rama, you are probably going to buy a huge bag of bikini cut briefs for $6. Thongs don’t always come in bulk, or when they do, sometimes it’s 3-for-$10. Um, not going to get a lot of bang for your buck when you can get the giant mega-pack for $6.
- Thongs might feel like a luxury purchase. If you aren’t a regular thong-purchaser, you probably only bought them for special events: vacations, honeymoons, birthdays, Tuesday night. If you’ve tightened the budget, you probably don’t have too many special occasions to buy the fancy underwear for.
- Do we date the same way? You might have had that special black lace thong for the third date *just in case* but do you date like you used to? People may be going to the Olive Garden instead of Ruth’s Chris. So do you break out the thong from last year, because even if a little somethin’-somethin’ happens, are your standards a bit lower?
- Are thongs getting smaller, or is it just me? If you purchase the same kinds of thongs every year, updating your stash to get rid of old ones, you might notice thongs are getting smaller…as if manufacturers are cutting back on materials the same way you’re cutting your budget. So if they’re getting smaller, but the price goes up, do you keep buying?
- You have a free alternative: commando. Do I need to elaborate?
What do you think? Would the Recession have impacted our spending to this extent? Is it all deemed by fashion or by function?
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
I just LOVE your take on this. So witty, so funny and yet, so rational! I saw this article in Cosmo, too. But I’m not exactly sure how I feel about it yet. There still seems to a be a great need for those fashionistas opposed to VPL (myself included). But there’s a whole throng of women who are okay sporting panty lines (even though they think they’re not visible). And if there’s one thing I despise, it’s an outfit ruined by a bunched-up panty line. I liked the read! It’ll give me yet another thing to ponder on this lovely Friday! Thanks!
Hi Emily! First, can I say I love meeting another Emily. So fabulous! Anyways, I know, I too struggle with VPL and what that means for my own style. If anything, the bunches become like that Tide-To-Go Pen commercial with the talking stain. It’s so obvious that who can really take you seriously? People become distracted! I actually have a great story about this. When you’re a rower, you wear spandex, even the boys. And no matter how many MILLION times we told the guys “Don’t wear boxers under the spandex!” they always did…now that’s bunching! And I can tell you, insecurity about the underwear affected their ability to win. Our women’s boat consistently beat the men’s in races. Who would think that underwear affects performance? Thanks for stopping by!
Clicking your picture on your comment on Matt Cheuvront’s blog brings me here for the first time…to read your thoughts about thongs vs going commando. As a guy, this is quite the amusing blog jump. Heh.
I’m unsure what I can add to the discussion, so I’ll just sit and look pretty and wait to see what else you write about.
Yeah, you never know what you can get over here. Glad you stopped by, and who knows what other secret from the female world I’ll link to business next! Went ahead and added your blog to my reader