The Bottom Drawer Forums

I am going on holiday shortly with a large variety of swimwear to suit the occasion . A small bikini will be the absolute max I will wear at any time . There are different situations , round the pool , on the beach , in the sauna and of course there will be variations in how busy or how close to people to take into consideration .
But I am interested in how you view two particular distinct styles with regard to their masculinity (I I'm a straight guy btw )

So let's take for example the Joe Snyder thong and compare it versus the Kiniki Cuba half back front pouch tanga.

Which is more masculine ? Undoubtedly the thong is more revealing and the tanga gives more coverage in the rear . The tanga has thin strap sides which are more akin to girls' bikini bottoms . And whereas male thongs are not mainstream, I think the cheeky half back again is more associated with women .

So the paradox here is that the more revealing suit is, in my opinion , the more masculine . I will wear both styles but I may find it harder to wear the larger tanga style . What do you guys think ?

Aberman wrote: Sun Mar 12, 2023 4:48 am I am going on holiday shortly with a large variety of swimwear to suit the occasion . A small bikini will be the absolute max I will wear at any time . There are different situations , round the pool , on the beach , in the sauna and of course there will be variations in how busy or how close to people to take into consideration .
But I am interested in how you view two particular distinct styles with regard to their masculinity (I I'm a straight guy btw )

So let's take for example the Joe Snyder thong and compare it versus the Kiniki Cuba half back front pouch tanga.

Which is more masculine ? Undoubtedly the thong is more revealing and the tanga gives more coverage in the rear . The tanga has thin strap sides which are more akin to girls' bikini bottoms . And whereas male thongs are not mainstream, I think the cheeky half back again is more associated with women .

So the paradox here is that the more revealing suit is, in my opinion , the more masculine . I will wear both styles but I may find it harder to wear the larger tanga style . What do you guys think ?

That is an interesting and some might say complex topic. The thong and tanga shouldn't, in this day and age, be thought of as either masculine or feminine. However, due to generations being brought up to believe that blue is for baby boys and pink is for baby girls, I think we have to take the colour of the garment into consideration. A pink thong or tanga will be deemed to be feminine, and yet a pink shirt, tie or sweater will not be.
I also think the physique of the man can influence how we regard a particular garment eg a big hairy bearlike guy wearing a thong or tanga will still probably be looked upon as being masculine, whereas a young slim smooth skinned guy wearing one may not. I'm trying to avoid gender stereotyping, but society still has a way to go before certain intimate articles of clothing can be thought of as gender neutral. Hope some of this makes sense and doesn't cause offence in any way.

Thanks Tanga , goodness your posts never cause offence , always detailed thoughtful and interesting . Your comments. About the colour of swimwear are interesting too . I have actually purchased some joe Snyder bikinis in pink . I agree a very feminine colour but a colour I simply like for its vibrancy . I also like to challenge myself a little . Generally if the design is relatively conservative then I will choose a challenging colour . Occasionally I will choose a challenging design and a challenging colour !

Aberman wrote: Sun Mar 12, 2023 6:42 am Thanks Tanga , goodness your posts never cause offence , always detailed thoughtful and interesting . Your comments. About the colour of swimwear are interesting too . I have actually purchased some joe Snyder bikinis in pink . I agree a very feminine colour but a colour I simply like for its vibrancy . I also like to challenge myself a little . Generally if the design is relatively conservative then I will choose a challenging colour . Occasionally I will choose a challenging design and a challenging colour !

Thanks for your kind words. I'm sure Nate(the creator of the blog and forum), will agree that it's great when a new member to the forum, like your good self, really gets involved and contributes new ideas and personal experiences that enhance the experience for everyone.
I'm sure you'll have a great time on holiday whatever style you choose to wear. Many European countries are much more relaxed about men wearing skimpier swimwear than here in the UK.

Thanks Tanga , I try to be innovative and constructive . I used to read the blog a few years ago before there was a forum . But it is the interchange of ideas , styles , attitudes and venues which makes this so interesting , coupled with the good taste . I will need to post a selection of what it is in my bottom drawer at some point too .

Tanga Tanga, you are right about Bears. I am a very hairy guy and I can wear any kind of tiny flat front thong or feminine style at the Beach and no one notices. Once you are past age 25 no one looks anyway, I am now 75.

Bikenswim wrote: Sun Mar 12, 2023 2:10 pm Tanga Tanga, you are right about Bears. I am a very hairy guy and I can wear any kind of tiny flat front thong or feminine style at the Beach and no one notices. Once you are past age 25 no one looks anyway, I am now 75.

Sounds like there's still life in the old dog(or bear in your case)yet.lol. You're an example to us all that age is just a number.

Im a bit mixed on this topic. First, we don't have beaches here - we have 11,000+ lakes. Thonging its really not even a topic.

However, I have gone to Florida a few times. Thongs were the only swimwear I would don. What I found there was that on most of the beaches there were family areas and then there were adult only ateas. The one beach that i remember well with this setup had the footpath leading to the thong beach going past the family area.

Family area - modest swimwear. There were some bikinis, but no thongs. Thong/adult area - anything goes; some even laying out nude.

My thought on what to wear on your favorite beach while you're there is to be aware of your surroundings. If you're ok with stares and maybe a comment or two, wear what you want, wherever you want. I'm too set in my ways to want to put up with that BS, so I just found areas where those things wouldn't happen.

Color? Feminine? From what I have seen on beaches (or even at our local pools) color is not an issue in that regard. I've seen guys and gals in just about every color of the rainbow. If you are a bit bashful as far as not wanting to show your bulge, I would recommend a darker color, though. It just seems the darker leaves more to the imagination. In masculinity - if you wear either a thong or a tangsa it seems that alone would tell people you are plenty masculine and confident.

In any case it is fun to try something s little daring and new. Hope you have a blast!

I have read this question a bit differently. To me it comes across as "more straight" more than "more masculine". From what I've experienced, either one will be read as "gay" since you're not conforming to the curtains of shame (board shorts) that seem to be the default straight man's option. Between the two, I'm guessing the tanga will be considered more straight (masculine) because of more coverage, but not by much.

I'll be the dark horse in the convo. Haha. When I eventually go to the beach in a swim garment I've never "seen" myself in anything but a Tanga. Nate knows this; there are a lot of unflattering and unsupportive tanga styles for men. We lack the really big body curves that our female counterparts use to "hold" these styles. So brands have to work doubletime when they nail it.

Good tangas give that good hip rise (even if not by a lot) silhouette and then the 3/4 style to your bum WILL shape it as a boost on your masculine physique. Swim thong is easier to rock I'd guess in the sense that you go all in, and feel more free in the water. It's just a pick your favorite child topic in this situation. For me, I think a good print on a nice tanga will bring that positiveness tenfold. "Man that dude looks really good!" Haha. No bad answers here though.