Is the thong dead?

“The Thong is Dead!” — or so says Cosmo in their February issue. The barely-there underwear — elevated to the status of cultural obsession by pop star Sisqo's 2000 hit “The Thong Song” — is uncomfortable to wear and has lost its aura of sexiness, according to the publication. With cool girls these days favoring curve-enhancing "boy-shorts," is this the end of an era?

A cultural moment has passed: The thong was "the perfect (the only, really) appropriate lingerie" for those boom years defined by "bottle service, botox and upskirt photos on TMZ," says Sarah Hepola at Salon. "But the recession put a damper" on America's "pole-dancing bacchanal," and that's been bad news for this "skimpy, silky triangle of fabric" beloved by "exhibitionists" everywhere. "RIP, the thong."

“Swan thong”

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Thongs will never truly die: “Reports of the death of this flimsy garment are highly premature,” says Jenice Armstong at Philly.com. While thongs certainly have been, um, “overexposed” in recent years, they do women a great service by helping them avoid “VPL – visible panty lines.” Until we find another cure for this “vexing problem,” thongs will still occupy an important place in the female wardrobe.

“RIP thong: Not"

Prepare yourself for Thong 2.0: The old-school thong is merely being replaced "newer thong styles" that feature lots of lace and "more coverage," says boutique owner Shayna Clute, as quoted by Fox News in Boston. The good news? These new thongs are more comfortable — which is to say, "not so skimpy."

"Is the thong really out?"

.........................................

SEE RELATED STORIES ON THE WEEK:

• Breasts: A double-D double standard?

• Australia's 'small breast' ban

• The 'man boob' epidemic