The term is first attested in writings by Americans in the late 1800s describing the loincloth of Philippines natives. In the “Philippines Islands” entry in the 1911 edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica, the term “geestring” is used. New styles and clothing concepts are always available in Ipanema’s elegant stores and boutiques. Precious and semi-precious stones are also a specialty in Rio where some of the world’s largest and most renowned jewelers are located. Others still assume that Brazil’s greatest gift to the world are girls wearing tangas or fio dental (swimwear made from frazzles of cloth, normally used by Indian women).

2 nice thongs / string tangas

The first direct descendant of the loincloth, in the direction of thong, was the jockstrap, created by Chicago sporting goods company Sharp & Smith in 1874. The first historical reference to the thong in post-1900′s is in 1939 New York City when Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia ordered nude dancers to dress more appropriately. The bather entered the hut fully dressed and donned her swimming clothes inside. Then, horses (or occasionally humans) pulled the cart into the surf.

Yesterday in Rio, at a stand, Arab music was playing in the background and curious women asked about the prices of the embroidered tablecloths and of little boxes with mother of pearl mosaics. In one corner of the stand there were about six marquetry tables, each of a different size and all well worked.

That thong tha-thong thong thong.

The New York Times claimed that the thong, with straps worn high over the hips, exposed by fashionable low-rise jeans and Juicy Couture sweat pants, became a public icon. It says, “Just as Madonna made bras a public garment in the 1980′s, the thong needs attention, too.” It was 1977 when the thong bathing suit was introduced on the beaches of Brazil and the style was originally called a -tanga-. Now, more than 25 years later the Brazilian bikini is more popular than ever.

In fact, Brazil’s obsession with its beach culture even gave rise to the exotic ‘tanga” or thong bikini in the 1960′s. Be prepared to see lots of beautiful, bronzed and scantily clad bodies sporting the famous Brazilian bikini on its countless beaches. You can easily find a very large selection of items, including body stockings and a phenomenal assortment of the latest products in thongs!

We have seen bikinis from the finest designer swimwear collections that offer great bargains on great swimsuits. Indeed Ipanema beach is the spiritual home of the “tangas” - the mini-bikini! Activities on Ipanema beach include the traditional Brazilian favorite of volleyball. So if you could ever get tired of girl-watching, there are sports. But we know that won’t happen. Brazilians make a huge effort to stay in shape and to look their very best on the golden sands of Copacabana and Ipanema.

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