It’s not exactly an age old question, but one that I feel needs to be addressed for women everywhere. With men it’s a very common question of boxers or briefs, so why not figure out the mystery behind “thongs or granny panties”?

One would think that granny panties have been around longer than the thong, but that’s just not the case. In ancient times the Egyptians would wear loincloths made of leather. What’s a little weird about this is that it was the men who wore them, not the women. Did you know that when they uncovered King Tut’s tomb he had 145 loincloths buried with him. That’s a lot of thongs for one guy! If you ever watch the Discovery Channel on primitive tribes in remote areas of the world, the men always have on some type of thong/ loincloth and the women wear absolutely nothing. I think we should send a few complimentary boxes of granny panties on the next expedition over for these women and let the men keep their so-called thongs.

In modern times, historians trace the thong’s first public appearance to 1939 when New York Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia directed that the city's nude exotic dancers dress more appropriately. Fashion designer, Rudi Gernreich was credited with introducing the first modern thong back in 1974. The thong was worn for many years by exotic Brazilian dancers and was very widely worn during the festivals. These tight, tiny thongs grew in popularity during the 1980’s in South America and were used as swimwear at the beaches. Its popularity and influence spread to various parts of the world in the late 1990’s. Although you’d be hard pressed to find a Brazilian beach with women not wearing thongs, the U.S. is still a little too prim and proper to jump on the thong swimwear bandwagon just yet.

The term granny panties is slang for a very specific type of lingerie used throughout the world. Many Australians however still use the British term “nickers” instead of panties therefore calling granny panties “nanna nickers”. Designed with a high waistline, granny panties cover the navel or rests just beneath it. Additional features include elasticized waistbands and full coverage for the rear-end (and I do mean full). Since the term has somewhat unflattering connotations, advertisers generally prefer to name this panty style as full briefs, high-leg briefs or French-cut briefs. Personally I think they need to get rid of the word “briefs” altogether, it’s too masculine sounding. They might as well call them “french-cut tighty whities”!

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not making fun of granny panties in the least!  I’m a big fan and have a few pairs of my own.  They’re like a security blanket in today’s world of sexy and exotic lingerie with such names as; the thong, boy shorts, hipsters, g-strings and tanga shorts.  However, since I can’t stand panty lines I’m definitely more of a thong girl myself. 

So next time you’re in a lingerie store debating thongs or granny panties, think about what you need them for?  Is it for a hot night of sex with the guy down the hall or just another night in with a good book?  The old “do you want comfort or style” doesn’t apply to the thongs of today.  They come in every shape, style, color and size to fit even the most hard core granny panty wearer.  So grannies, get out there, put on a pair of thongs and take a walk on the wild side!