Do attraction rates for men in thongs vary by women's age, sexual orientation, or cultural background?
Executive summary
Available reporting shows no rigorous, representative studies measuring whether women’s attraction to men in thongs varies systematically by women’s age, sexual orientation, or cultural background; most available material is opinion, retailer/brand commentary, trend pieces and forum threads noting generational and cultural differences (e.g., younger people and some cultures are more permissive) [1] [2] [3]. Market and fashion reporting documents a rise in men’s thong visibility and acceptance driven by fashion, social media and niche communities—not by controlled attraction research—so claims about who finds men in thongs attractive are based on surveys of small groups, anecdotes, or commercial commentary rather than academic evidence [2] [4] [5].
1. What the sources actually measure — trends, not attraction experiments
Most sources track fashion trends, market growth, social-media communities or forum opinions rather than measuring attraction across demographic groups. Reports say men’s thongs are becoming more visible in runways, markets and online communities (Reddit groups, brands, trend blogs), and that younger generations show more liberal attitudes toward revealing styles—these are trend observations, not representative studies of sexual attraction [2] [4] [1].
2. Age differences: clear cultural/generational signal, weak evidence on attraction
Several pieces signal a generational divide—younger people are more likely to accept or normalize thong styles—yet the coverage relates to wearing and visibility rather than quantified attraction differences. Fashion and cultural commentary frames thongs as a symbol of coming-of-age or boundary-pushing style for younger cohorts [3] [1]. But none of the supplied sources present controlled data showing that women of specific age brackets are more attracted to men who wear thongs; available sources do not mention survey results that directly test attraction by age.
3. Sexual orientation: repeated mentions, mostly anecdotal or niche-market claims
Multiple commerce and blog sources explicitly link men’s thong uptake to gay male markets and Pride communities and note that gay men may be especially visible consumers of thong styles; writers also claim some women find thongs attractive because of confidence or sexiness [4] [6] [7]. These are market- and culture-oriented observations, not comparative attraction studies across women of different sexual orientations. Available sources do not mention representative measures that compare heterosexual, bisexual, and lesbian women’s attraction to men in thongs.
4. Cultural background and geography: norms and acceptability vary, but attraction data is absent
Fashion history and cultural reporting show thongs’ meaning varies by country and culture; acceptance and prevalence differ regionally (examples include historical and runway contexts and global variations in modesty norms) [3] [1] [8]. These sources support that cultural background shapes whether thongs are visible or stigmatized, which plausibly affects attraction norms, but they do not provide empirical attraction rates broken down by culture. Available sources do not mention cross-cultural surveys that measure women’s attraction to men in thongs.
5. What the anecdotal and forum evidence says — mixed opinions
Forums, Q&A sites and brand blogs collected in the sample show wide divergence: some women say men in thongs are sexy and confidence-enhancing; others say they find them unattractive or odd [9] [10] [11]. These data are useful to illustrate variation and social signalling but cannot be extrapolated to population-level attraction rates because they are self-selected, non-representative and often driven by community norms [5] [12].
6. How to interpret these gaps — what journalists and researchers should demand
The available material supports three modest, evidence-backed points: men’s thongs are more visible in 2023–25 fashion and online communities [4] [2]; younger cohorts and some cultures are more permissive toward revealing underwear [1] [3]; and opinions about attractiveness are heterogeneous and often presented as anecdote or marketing spin [5] [7]. What’s missing—and what would settle your original question—is a representative, cross-cultural survey or experimental study that directly asks women (segmented by age, orientation, culture) about attraction to men wearing thongs. Available sources do not mention such a study.
7. Bottom line for readers and decision-makers
If you need a defensible claim about variation in attraction by age, sexual orientation or culture, current reporting does not supply empirical, generalizable rates; it supplies trend signals, niche-market claims and scattered opinions [2] [4] [10]. Treat single surveys, forum impressions or brand content as hypotheses to be tested—rather than as evidence that a particular demographic "likes" or "dislikes" men in thongs [2] [4].