So are the new knickers to hit our shops sexy or smutty?

"I don’t see what all the fuss is about, g-strings are very comfortable and fashionable,” Elizabeth Uwineza, 20.

"Otherwise, you will look like your grandmother with a granny-panty line showing!”

There are several styles of g-strings, says Jean Marie Tuyisenge, a shop assistant. The common ones in most of Kigali’s shops are narrow ones but without the band around the waist, commonly known as ‘V-shape’, or ‘T-string’, with only a piece between the legs held in place firmly by a flexible internal frame.

For some the trend is a must have, for others they are far too sexually suggestive.

"It’s true you can wear whatever you want to wear, but I wouldn’t dress obviously showing off underwear, and I don’t think most girls in Kigali would either,” says Chantelle Nyiraneza, 26.

"I don’t like g-strings just because I hate the way it makes my butt look. It makes it look all wide and just gross,” says Natasha Teta.

Jackson Mutabazi, 28, confesses that he sees most girls wearing g-strings, but he doesn’t understand the coolness of the trend.

Asking people around town, I found out that most girls seem to think that g-strings are a great solution when wearing tight or see-through clothes.

However, skin specialists warn that wearing g-strings all the time can be risky to a woman’s health.

According Dr. Anthony Harerimana, a gynecologist from one of Kigali’s private hospitals, the fancy underwear can create a serious threat to women’s health.

He says that women who wear g-strings day in day out are more susceptible to developing yeast vaginal infections and venereal diseases.

"G-strings are usually made from synthetic fabrics, e.g. nylon,” says Dr. Harerimana. "The fabrics of the kind are well-known for their ability to retain moisture, thus creating excellent conditions for rapid growth of pathogenic bacteria.”

However, it’s claimed that g-strings that sit somewhat loose are thought to be less dangerous in terms of the spread of infection than those fitting closely to the body.

Skin specialists recommend that, it’s not advisable to wear g-strings when the weather is hot or wet and that g-strings made from natural fabric, for instance pure cotton or silk are better.

Ends