A G-string is a narrow piece of cloth or leather that passes between the legs and is attached to a band around the hips, worn as a bikini bottom or as underwear by both women and men. Although it was exotic dancers that would wear strings for decades, the strings first gained mainstream popularity in South America, particularly in Brazil string origing in the 1970s. In Brazil it was originally a style of swimsuit whose rear area was so thin—often just a string—that it would disappear between the wearer's buttocks. In its earliest form they would wear strings as a strip of cloth between the legs secured by a string around the waist and called a "G-string," a name that was in use at least as far back as the late 1800s. Today, a G-string is generally thought of as having a 'T' back whereas a V-String has a 'V' back. String origing is uncertain. Some speculate that it may have been an analogy to the thickest string on a violin or a euphemistic abbreviation of girdle string or groin string. G-strings can be seen being worn in some old photographs. In present times people are used to being free in many ways of their life. This principle is also true when they choose to wear strings. By the late 1980s, the design had made its way into most of the Western world with string popularity on the rise through the 1990s. As of 2003, thong underwear is one of the fastest-selling styles among women and is now also gaining large popularity among men. One advantage attributed to the wearing of thong underwear is that no visible panty line can be seen even under a thin, light-colored, or skin-tight garment. The main drawback to G-string underwear is that the fabric must be pulled directly between one's buttocks, which many people find unattractive and/or uncomfortable, but which others enjoy. To wear strings for a prolonged period of time is considered unsanitary, just like any other underwear. Like any other types of underwear, strings are nowadays produced out of good quality materials and this enables those who wear strings get a very pleasant feeling of softness to their skin. As far as strings materials are concerned, people give preference to nylon items since strings origing. The advantages of using nylon in the quality of strings material lies in the fact that it is a very gentle and flexible material that will take the shape that is required by the peculiarities of you body curves. Nylon strings popularity can also be accounted by the fact that nylon is subject to gentle stretching with the possibility to restore its original shape without losing the initial form. Besides, nylon can be dyed without the risk of shedding color in the process of washing. On Europe's beaches, to wear strings is fairly common, especially on the Spanish Mediterranean islands like Ibiza and Mallorca, and on some Italian and Greek beaches. String popularity on Baltic Sea beaches and in public pools in France and Germany, is high among women and men wearing G-strings or G-string-style one-piece suits. String origing this type of swimsuit is quite common for European women, more and more men like to wear them not only as underwear but as swimwear in public. Although it is likely that this is a consequence of the more liberal society in many European states that results in a preference for sexier clothing, there has also been an increase in strings popularity for male G-strings in the U.S. male population.