The Blue Thong Society was not born out of a shared compulsion to wear similar shades of a notoriously skimpy undergarment, but rather a desire to buck tradition and revel in a woman’s right to express herself as she sees herself.
Co-founder and longtime Pacific Beach resident Jackie Tushinsky “” no pun intended “” was sharing cocktails with a few likeminded friends more than one year ago when their casual conversation broached the subject of turning 50. The milestone had been reached by some, but was looming ahead for Mary Jo Wallo of Encinitas. Talk turned to the Red Hat Society, known for its demure dress and appeal to women age 50 and older. Everyone agreed that Wallo was not the red hat type and would be more inclined to don a red thong, an idea that stuck after the laughter subsided and the evening had ended.
Tushinsky said that she, Wallo, Kelly Golden of La Costa, and Mary Ellen Weigand of Tampa, Fla., began tossing around the idea of a society that better reflected their hip lifestyle and uninhibited attitude.
“I’m a beach chick. I wear hip huggers and flip flops and jean skirts and I wasn’t about to wear a red hat and a purple dress,” she said, referencing the well-established society. “They are a fabulous organization, but we seem to have a younger attitude.”
The women then picked a symbol and slogan that a wild child of the 60s, now a free spirited woman in her 50s, could identify with. They eventually decided on a provocatively designed blue thong logo that looks like a flip-flop and underwear at once, and the motto, “Fight frump!”
“It’s kind of fun “” it’s frivolous, it’s not very serious,” Tushinsky said of the society’s trademarks. “Everyone cracks up about it.”
The attention-grabbing design is not meant to intimidate or offend, rather illustrate a sense of humor and mindset shared by the society’s 150 members, now across five states.
“It’s not like you have to wear a thong “” it’s an attitude,” Tushinsky explained.
She said her generation started the women’s liberation movement and was the first to really infiltrate the workforce and leave the confines of domestic life, all of which shaped her current outlook on life. Though the society speaks to many of Tushinsky’s peers, she was quick to extend an open invitation to women of all ages and noted that each generation has something to share and learn.
The average age of a Blue Thong Society member ranges from 30 to 60, though younger and older women are encouraged to join. Membership costs $29 per year and includes a quarterly newsletter, as well as networking and other perks through the website. Each chapter meets monthly, organizes its own events, and helps a local charity.
“We’re a social group and we’re having fun, but one of our requirements for every chapter is to support a charitable organization in your neighborhood,” Tushinsky said.
The newly formed Pacific Beach Chapter, led by Tushinski, held its first meeting on May 28 and currently has a modest membership of 10 people. But Tushinsky is not discouraged, as the society has taken off locally and regionally and she said she stays quite busy responding to daily phone and email inquiries about the group.
For more information on the Ocean Beach Chapter, email Pam Browning at [email protected].
To learn more about the organization, visit www.bluethongsociety.com or call (888) 675-6886.