As for whether it’s actually comfortable—I have some firsthand experience with that.

But when we started tracing the history of this seemingly ordinary piece of underwear, we discovered that the thong has never been just a piece of fabric. Its story is tied to a much bigger conversation about sexuality, the body, power, popular culture, marketing, and female identity.

In this episode, we talk about:

• How the thong evolved from a design intended to circumvent nudity laws into a common style of modern underwear
• Why it became associated with male desire, pin-up culture, and the sexualization of the female body
• How brand marketing, mail-order catalogs, celebrity influence, and popular culture helped make the thong mainstream in the 1990s and early 2000s
• How changing attitudes toward age, body ideals, and sexuality have shaped people’s choices when it comes to wearing thongs
• Why some products survive and remain popular not simply because they are comfortable or practical, but because they carry powerful cultural meanings and commercial value

And finally, whether you finish this episode deciding to keep wearing thongs, give them up completely, or realizing that you simply don’t care that much about them—we hope whatever choice you make comes from your own body, your own comfort, and your own needs.

Intro music Temporary Life - Zerui Quan: https://open.spotify.com/track/2yE1fIUimTxHhCw8BLVNUo?si=c33291141aa5420f

在动感单车的试衣间里，我发现了一个有点意外的现象：大家穿的，似乎都是清一色的丁字裤。

至于它到底舒不舒服——我自己是深有体会。

但当我们开始顺着这件看起来再普通不过的内衣，去追溯它的流行历史时，却发现：丁字裤从来不只是一块布。它背后牵扯着关于性感、身体、权力、流行文化，营销，以及女性身份认同的一整套复杂故事。

这一期，我们会聊到：

• 丁字裤如何从规避裸体禁令的设计，演变成现代内衣中的常见款式： 00:04:11

• 它为什么会和男性欲望、海报女郎文化以及女性身体的性化联系在一起: 00:08:18

• 品牌营销、商品画册、名人效应和流行文化如何推动它在 20 世纪 90 年代及 21 世纪初走红： 00:13:22

• 年龄、身体审美和性观念的变化，如何影响人们对丁字裤的选择： 00:27:04

• 为什么有些商品能够持续存在，并不只是因为它们好穿，而是因为它们具有强烈的文化符号和商业价值： 00:33:45

最后，无论你听完这一期之后，是决定继续穿丁字裤、彻底放弃它，还是发现自己其实根本没那么在意——

我们希望你做出的选择，都来自你自己的身体感受和需求。

Intro music:

Temporary Life by Zerui Quan

https://open.spotify.com/track/2yE1fIUimTxHhCw8BLVNUo?si=d0d03ab0b4884f79