Y2K, otherwise known as “Year 2000” has made a huge comeback within fashion, beauty, and lifestyle trends all over the internet. Whether it’s a major coalition of low-rise pants to exposed thongs, trends we all knew and loved are slowly yet surely coming back to stay.
The exposed thong is one of Y2K’s biggest moments in fashion history yet, and proves just how far we’ve come from conventional and conservative fashion statements that tell women to “cover up.” But now that the fashion industry is moving towards a more inclusive space, where fashion expression has and is currently taking hold in all ways, is the exposed thong still viewed in a provocative light? Or is it now viewed as a simple form of self-expression through clothing?
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Regardless of personal opinion, the trend is here to stay for good and has become its own personal statement. Much like an accessory or a beloved handbag, the exposed thong gives women the power to decide their own identities and their own place within our current culture. A culture that has finally come to the place where women will wear and do exactly as they please, despite the naysayers and despite the looming essence of the “male gaze.”
Like It Or Not The Exposed Thong Is Just As “Provocative” As Wearing A Bikini.
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Let’s be real, a bikini is fairly revealing and has become a major statement in a woman’s arsenal. And though it took years for society to finally accept a woman wearing a bra and panties in public, we’ve finally reached a point where the bikini has become a major fashion statement. From pageantry to magazines such as Sports Illustrated, the bikini is now praised on all levels, but why isn’t this the case for the exposed thong?
“Some may argue that flashing one’s thong is only for the pleasure of the male gaze and, thus, inherently anti-feminist, but others rebute that not wearing what you want only further stifles a woman’s right to choose,” says Nylon on the rising Y2K trend.
All antics aside, the exposed thong is probably too futuristic for today’s day and age and simply shows the world just how much power a woman really has, thus making that a scary sight and revelation for patriarchal society.
The Exposed Thong Is Not A Defining Way Of Determining A Woman’s Worth And Intrinsic Value
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Though it may look provocative, the exposed thong is nothing more than a way of self-expression through clothing, and unlike popular opinion, has nothing to do with a woman’s worth and inherent value.
We’ve all heard of the saying, ” Never judge a book by its cover,” and the exposed thong can serve as another example of what this message means. Fashion is merely a form of expressing yourself, regardless of your class, race, or even your job, wearing an exposed thong does not say anything less about who you are as a person, regardless of what society deems to believe.
The Exposed Thong Gives A Woman The Right To Choose.
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We all experienced a major moment in history last month after Roe vs Wade was overturned by the Supreme Court, a major lifelong decision that affects the lives of women everywhere from all across the world.
Ever since this catastrophic decision, our right to choose was revoked at the government level, but the way we dress is strictly a right that others can not control.
In simple terms, we should all have complete autonomy over our bodies and should not have to feel ridiculed for living our own lives.
The exposed thong is more than just a trend and gives women the right to choose what they do with their own bodies.
“The more people put boundaries on others and oppress people, the more people will ‘act out,’” says Rachael Finley, founder of Los Angeles-based slow fashion brand Hot Lava to Nylon. “Dressing in a provocative way is in fact a protest against people who want to contain or shame.”
Women Should Feel Comfortable Doing What They Want, Period.
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Now that we are entering an era where self-expression and identity are at the core of what we wear on a day-to-day basis, the exposed thong is giving a woman the opportunity to live out her dreams by doing whatever she wants to do, and without restriction. And though a woman’s body has always been weirdly fetishized, all women should feel comfortable in their own bodies, regardless of what she chooses to wear that day.