Queen of women’s underwear, the thong has reigned supreme.

Sitting atop a throne of satin, cotton, silk, lace and spandex, the simple panty has swayed a kingdom of millions, assuming control over the fashion of intimate apparel. Recently, however, a panty raid of sorts has wrested some of the control from the throne. The proliferation of the boy shorts has got the thong in the proverbial
bunch.

There’s not much to the thong, which may be the genius behind the design. Sexy to some and functional for others, or a combination of the two, the thong has attracted followers easily. Offering respite from visible panty lines as well as highlighting the inherent sexiness of the posterior, the thong exploded in popularity in the late ‘90s and early 2000s with help from celebrities like Britney Spears and Sisqo.

With the played out but admittedly catchy “Thong Song,” Sisqo whipped consumers into a frenzy. In 1999, VH1 reported that leading lingerie stores saw an increase in thong sales when the single invaded radio and MTV. In addition, the panty received a boost from female celebrities like Spears and Christina Aguilera donning thongs – visible via straps peeking out from their low-rise jeans – in videos and fashion magazines.

Alas, overexposure can be a fad killer. The Jennifer Aniston haircut, velour sweats and J. Lo can all testify to that. Too much, in the world of fashion, translates to tired – which in turn creates a ticking trend time bomb. In an article in the New York Times on Sept. 12,
Alex Kucyznski also relates the decline of the thong to the growing perception that showing off underwear is in bad taste.

“Thongs are sexy when they’re underneath something, like a dress or a skirt,” said Jillian Hamels, a freshman business major. “But some girls wear them out where everyone can see them, and it just looks tacky.”

The tackiness factor may account for the surge in demand for the boy short. The thong is now facing strong opposition from the full-back-panty camp, with sales of the retro-inspired underwear increasing.

Sales of hipster or boy shorts have grown by 47 percent in the last year alone, according to market research company The NPD Group Inc. Even the thong can’t match that pace – only increasing 8 percent in each of the last four years.

“Everything used to be the thong,” said Sophie Baudet, owner of Les Cents Culottes, a Russian Hill boutique specializing in French lingerie. “But the boy short is very popular now, too. Sales are just about even with the thong and boy short.”

Men who come into her store are buying more and more lingerie with boy shorts, Baudet added.

“Both men and woman seem to like the curves [boy shorts] accentuate,” she said.

Hamels feels the attraction to the boy short as well.

“When the boy shorts started coming out, I also started buying them,” Hamels said. “They’re great for wearing around the house.”

Not only good for loungewear, boy shorts are becoming glamorous, just as thongs did a few years back. Lingerie companies like Victoria’s Secret, Frederick’s of Hollywood and Cosabella are dressing up the boy short with extras like lace, mesh, rhinestones and even personalization. With a boy short, there’s plenty of room for your significant other’s name on your backside.

Even with the swelling demand of boy shorts and other retro, full-back styles, the thong still represents 24 percent of the women’s underwear market according to the NPD Group. The risqué underwear will most likely weather the rebellion well. In contrast to some other trends, it’s actually practical.

Skirts, jeans and dresses are often tight – or made with thinner fabrics that reveal even the most nominal of seams. Thongs are second only to commando, nothing at all, when it comes to taking panty lines completely out of the equation.

“Thongs are really comfortable,” Hamels said. “My clothes fit so much better when I wear them and I don’t have to worry about skirts or dresses bunching up.”

After flooding American culture, it would be difficult for the thong to completely fall off the fashion radar. Frederick’s of Hollywood – who claims to have introduced the thong to America in 1981 – has already introduced a hybrid that may unite the two styles, boy short in front, thong in back.

Perhaps there is room in the kingdom for two panty queens.