Sacha Walters, Staff Reporter

Lace boy shorts can be sexy without showing too much skin. - Kyle Macpherson/Freelance photographer

In 2000, Sisqo sang the Thong Song to the world and in it gave more than a hint as to how much men love to see a string up a woman's bottom. And while the women have a variety of panty options, some men are transfixed by the thong.

James falls in that category. He loves to see a woman in a thong because of how it fits the body. "I like the way her lower half just sandwiches the string," said James.

For Damion, boy shorts are more intriguing because of what they don't show. "They're also a little teasing. I think they add to the shape of women with ample hips and thighs," he said, explaining that while thongs are sexy, they lack this quality.

Comfort

Left: Full panties offer comfort, stability and sex appeal with lace trimmings. Right: Seamless, low-rise thongs have the benefit of no panty line.

But while the thong is a practical underwear option for women, because it eliminates the dreaded panty line, it's not always the most comfortable option for others.

"They just have their time and place. Not that they are uncomfortable, I just don't feel like having a string up my butt all day, all the time," said Charlene. She prefers to wear thongs when wearing close-fitting pants and when she's getting intimate with her boyfriend.

On a regular day at the office, she prefers to wear full, seamless panties. "I also wear full panties under jeans; when it's my time of the month and when I'm going to bed," she added.

Full coverage can be sexy

But she doesn't believe that the negative image full-coverage panties get is warranted, especially today.

"I don't have a problem with full panties these days because they are making them with lace and other sexy trimmings. I don't think men mind them," she said.

But James doesn't agree. "I don't like those underwear that look like a man's. I can tell you that straight," he said, in reference to boy shorts, further explaining that while they may not turn him off completely, the thongs and low-rise, skimpily styled transparent underwear are very appealing.