The recent outbreak of thongs (G-strings, not flip-flops) at beaches and swimming pools has prompted a revival of prudish responses from casual swimsuit observers. Not since the days of bikini beach inspectors at Bondi have so many zinc-covered noses wrinkled in disgust at the bold attempts of sun worshippers to achieve maximum vitamin D exposure.

Teenagers who years earlier could have been building sandcastles au naturel are deemed too young for the revealing silhouette of “barely there” swimsuit bottoms, and those who have been fighting gravity for decades too old. Despite the critics, the thong continues to spread faster than glandular fever at a school formal.

Let’s get the sexism behind these complaints out of the way.

Love Island has helped to popularise the thong bikini.Credit: Sara Mally/PEACOCK via Getty Images

Men have been tapping into the trend for years, with surf lifesavers submitting to self-imposed wedgies to reduce the risk of friction burns from skimpy fabric while rowing. That doesn’t explain why the gathered fabric remains unplucked from clenched glutes while lifesavers stand on the........

© The Sydney Morning Herald