Thong and minimal swimwear have moved beyond traditional sun-drenched destinations and are appearing at lidos, leisure centres, lochs and open-water swimming spots. High-street retailers and online marketplaces now include numerous thong styles such as high-leg, side-tie and tanga variations. Celebrity endorsements and reality TV exposure have increased visibility and normalization of the trend. Motivations for adopting thong bikinis include avoiding tan lines, perceived comfort and a desire for parity with men’s minimal swim trunks. The trend reflects a trickle-down from fashion influencers and catwalks to mainstream holidaymakers and shoppers.
There are plenty of places where no one would bat an eyelid at the sight of a thong bikini; on a beach in Brazil or around the Love Island fire pit, visible butt cheeks are practically de rigueur. But my first sighting this year was not while surfing in Australia or sunbathing in the Caribbean, but at an open-water swimming spot, on a rainy day in Scotland. I should not have been surprised.
The trickle down from catwalks and influencers to holidaymakers and shoppers is notable. A search for thong bikini on Asos yields 187 results, ranging from high-leg styles, to side-tie, to tanga (somewhere between a thong and a standard brief), while high-street outlets including H&M, Calzedonia and Zara all have thong bikini bottoms in their collections. And, as with any trend, there are plenty of celebrity forerunners, including gymnast Simone Biles, model Heidi Klum, actor Sofia Vergara and singer Nicole Scherzinger.
I won't lie, it was nerve-racking initially, says Victoria, 29, who wore a thong bikini for the first time on a recent solo trip to Naples. As for many new converts, part of the appeal lay in the fact that she would be able to avoid the significant tan lines created by fuller coverage swimwear. I saw thong bikinis everywhere and wished I could wear one. But then I thought about it and was like, it's just a bum.
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