When it comes to supportive men’s underwear, two styles often get grouped together due to their minimal coverage: the thong and the jockstrap. While they may look similar from the front, the back tells a different story. They were engineered for entirely different purposes.
Choosing between them depends on whether you are looking purely for athletic support and protection, or streamlined support and comfort for your daily wardrobe.
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To understand why the men’s thong has moved from being a novelty item to a performance tool, it’s useful to understand its parts and understand how they work together. Unlike a standard pair of boxers, which is essentially just a fabric bag with holes, the men’s thong is an engineered garment designed to work with the male body, balancing support, aesthetics, and total freedom of movement.
Here is a breakdown of the three key components that make up the anatomy of a modern men’s thong.
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Brand: Calvin Klein
Price: £25 for a 3-pack
Thong Width: 3cm
Size I wear: M
Overall Rating: ★★★★☆ (8/10)
Best For: Everyday / Beginners
When I first took them out of the packaging, they looked like fairly standard thongs—which is exactly what I want from a daily wear piece. The material felt like a really good quality cotton, and the stitching all looked great.
The waistband stood out as being very soft, exactly like the classic style I’ve come to expect from my other Calvin Klein underwear.
Nothing wildly stood out, but they looked completely normal and reliable, which is perfect for everyday use.
The pouch is honestly perfect. Calvin Klein did a really good job at designing it to give me great support without any discomfort, and it worked really well for my anatomy.
The 3cm back strap is really well designed. It hits the perfect balance of tension to make me feel secure all day, while being subtle enough that I’m not constantly noticed or distracted by it.
The waistband is perfect—it is soft all the way around and didn’t dig into my sides at all.
I found that these perform really well for all of my normal daily activities and tasks. I easily forgot I was wearing them most of the time.
My only slight criticism is that the cotton material isn’t the best for moisture-wicking. If I’m active and start getting sweaty, they definitely struggle to dry out.
If they kept this exact same cut and tension but made them from a more technical fabric, they would be absolutely perfect for me.
I would absolutely recommend these, as I think they make a wonderful beginner’s thong and are perfect for daily wear. Because they are such a great fit for a daily routine, I would definitely buy another pair.
Overall: ★★★★☆ (8/10)
Brand: HOM (Freddy)
Price: ~£15
Thong Width: 0.5cm
Size I Wear: L
Overall Rating: ★★★☆☆ (6.5/10)
Best For: Everyday
When I first took them out of the packaging, they looked surprisingly small, especially since they lack the traditional thick elastic waistband.
The fabric itself felt like a soft cotton, and the construction quality immediately stood out—the stitching along the edges of the backstrap is incredibly precise. I also noticed how nicely the rear triangle tapers down into a very minimal 0.5cm cord strap.
This is a style that requires some intentionality; I can’t just pull them on like most of my other thongs.
It looks small and sits lower than most designs. However, once I have it properly placed, it fits everything well without any pinching or crushing.
The connection point where the pouch meets the backstrap is incredibly fine, meaning it is highly uncomfortable if it isn’t positioned right. I have to make sure the pouch is correctly placed before seating the rear strap.
At just 0.5cm, it is instantly noticeable when I first put it on, though it surprisingly fades into the background quickly. That said, it doesn’t provide the same gentle tension and feedback I typically associate with thongs, and I honestly prefer a wider backstrap.
Very comfortable, thanks to the elastic being fully covered by the soft cotton material.
Finding the right fit was critical for me. When I first tried this style, I bought a medium and found it completely unbearable, but stepping up to a Large fits well.
Once I have them properly adjusted, the standout feature of this thong is its incredible stability. They feel exceptionally stable throughout the day with absolutely no shifting or moving, all while keeping everything comfortable.
For workouts, the cotton fabric holds its structural support well even when I get sweaty, but I do wish they were made from a more modern, moisture-wicking material for exercise.
I think the cut of the front is great, but it would be amazing to have these with a standard thong back, rather than the string. I’d also prefer the pouch and backstrap to join a little further back, so you don’t have to place it so precisely when putting them on.
The HOM Freddy is a bit of a mixed bag for me, but its structural stability keeps it in my rotation. It isn’t a “pull up and go” pair, and getting the sizing right was a make-or-break experience. However, because it stays perfectly in place once it is on, it’s a reliable choice for everyday wear, and despite its downsides, I would probably buy another one.
Overall: 6.5/10
Brand: SKIMS
Price: £17
Thong Width: 2.5cm
Size I wear: Medium
Overall Rating: ★★★☆☆ (7/10)
Best For: Beginners
It’s brilliant to see more big names in the underwear world choosing to design men’s thongs. Kim Kardashian’s company SKIMS expanded to offer a line of men’s underwear, including a thong, and I can’t be more excited to see them being offered.
When I first took these out of the packaging, I noticed right away how incredible the material is. It is very soft and literally glides across the skin. The pouch and waistband feel substantial, and the stitching looks neat and consistent all around.
This fitted me really well. It has a nice amount of room without sacrificing support, so nothing felt squashed.
It’s very comfortable against my skin, but it feels a little too long. To make it feel secure, I end up pulling it higher than I’d usually wear a thong, but doing that means the pouch doesn’t sit right. If I let it sit in a normal position, the back strap shifts around a bit.
The elastic waistband is so soft. Honestly, the materials chosen throughout this garment are outstanding. It stays put where it should through the day.
Because of the back strap moving, I never really forgot they were there, but I also didn’t have to constantly adjust them.
I found that these work really well for driving or sitting for long periods. However, because of that slack at the back, they aren’t great for walking or moving around.
They are good, but I just wish the back strap was shorter. I would reduce its length by about 5cm to allow the stretch fabric to sit securely between the cheeks.
I wouldn’t buy another pair of this specific design, but I would definitely buy different designs from SKIMS in the future. I want to support larger brands moving into men’s thong products.
Overall Score: 7 out of 10
Brand: Boy Cici (Allwex/Allmix)
Price: £5
Thong Width: 2cm
Size I wear: M
Overall Rating: ★★☆☆☆ (4/10)
Best For: A niche seamless look under running leggings
The material itself is definitely the best feature here. It is incredibly soft, lightweight, and has a ton of stretch. When I first put them on, they completely disappeared. In those first moments, it truly felt like I wasn’t wearing anything at all.
The pouch design is the main thing keeping this from being perfect. The volume is just too restrictive for me. Over the course of the day, that lack of room leads to some physical pinching. It didn’t cause me to sweat or chafe, but it did require a bit of physical adjustment and became a distraction.
The elastic fabric is just too gentle. I rely on the feedback and gentle tension of a standard back strap to feel secure, and this pair didn’t give me that. When I was stationary, it went completely unnoticed, but when moving, the lack of elastic pressure meant it felt like it shifted—just enough to create a distracting “floating” feel.
The waistband actually sits completely flat and doesn’t shift, roll, or bunch up. However, like the rest of the piece, the fabric is just too gentle to provide a reassuring sense of security.
While sitting was fine and walking was okay, these ultimately fail for me as a daily wear piece. The underwear would quickly fade into the background when I was stationary, but the moment I moved, that occasional floating feeling would snap my attention right back to it.
I thought about wearing them for exercise because they look completely seamless under running leggings, but the lack of tension would just distract me. I’d spend the whole workout doubting whether I was actually supported.
I would change quite a lot with these. I would add a more secure waistband, completely redesign the pouch for more room, and generally give the material a much more firm stretch.
Ultimately, I would not recommend these and would tell you to skip them if you want a distraction-free day. They are really only suited for someone needing a very niche, seamless look under tight leggings. Because of that lack of overall support and security, I definitely would not buy another pair.
Overall Score: 4 out of 10
Brand: Kiniki (Apollo)
Price: £6
Thong Width: 4.5cm
Size I wear: M
Overall Rating: ★★★★☆ (9/10)
Best For: Sports and Everyday wear
When I first took them out of the packaging, the 4.5cm back strap looked quite wide, and I was genuinely concerned that it would be too wide to be comfortable. However, the material itself felt great—it had a really smooth feel to it and a very firm stretch.
The pouch is really well designed. It provides a very active and noticeable support during activity, yet it still manages to fade away into the background. There is a seam right under the pouch that I can sometimes notice, but it’s in a totally supportive way—it feels like it’s literally carrying you.
I was really surprised at how well the wider 4.5cm thong worked. Despite my initial worries, it seemed to sit between my cheeks just as comfortably as a standard thong width.
The waistband uses a fairly aggressive elastic. It does dig in throughout the day, but the trade-off is that it keeps everything held completely secure.
These work really well for everything, but they especially excel during sports and activity. Thanks to that secure waistband and the excellent pouch support, they are perfect when you’re moving around, while still being comfortable enough for normal daily life. At £6, they offer very good value for money.
I would improve the waistband to make it a bit more forgiving, and I would also love to see this exact same pouch design and smooth fabric but with a thinner back strap option.
I would certainly recommend these, as they are ideal for sports, workouts, and robust everyday wear. Because they perform so well, they’ve quickly become my favourite pair. I would absolutely buy another pair.
Overall: ★★★★☆ (9/10)
If you ask the average man why he hasn’t tried a thong, the answer is almost always the same: “I don’t want a permanent wedgie.” It’s a logical fear. We’ve all experienced the discomfort of a pair of boxers migrating north, creating a bulky, irritating mess of folded cotton. We assume a thong is just that sensation, but on purpose, taking fabric and sticking it up your butt on purpose.
However, the truth about the back strap is far more technical and surprisingly much more comfortable than the memes suggest.
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So you’re interested in trying a thong, you’ve read all the benefits online and think you’re ready to order one. But then, the “Social Internal Dialogue” kicks in. You imagine a locker room laugh, a partner’s raised eyebrow, or a nagging sense that you’re breaking some unwritten rule of manhood.
If you’re curious about making the switch but the social stigma is holding you back, it’s time to pull back the curtain. Here is why the stigma is a ghost, and why your comfort is more important.
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We are doing something different for today’s post. I’ve made a multiple choice quiz for you to work out your “Why” when it comes to choosing to wear a thong. Just count up how many As, Bs, Cs, and Ds and get your results at the end!
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