Bikini
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Contents |
Definition
A bikini is a two-piece women’s bathing suit.
History
The bikini became popular during the post Second World War years when attitudes about exposing the body in public had become more relaxed. Before this time, women went to great lengths to cover their bodies whilst on the beach. For example, women before the 1940's often used a wooden beach hut called 'the bathing machine'. A fully clothed lady would enter the bathing machine on the beach front and would get changed into her bathing costume inside. The hut would then be transported to the shore where the lady could get into the sea without being watched by anyone.
The first style of bikini was seen on film stars in the early 1940’s. The style was often a halter neck with high waisted bottoms that always ensured full coverage of the navel, bottom and hips. The first bikini, as we know them today, is said to have been invented by fashion designer Jacques Heim and engineer Louis Reard in 1946. It was seen on the catwalk at the Piscine Molitor fashion show in Paris. The original design by Heim was named ‘Atome’ due to its minute size. The ‘Atome’ was advertised as the world’s smallest bathing suit but Reard redesigned it by splitting it into a high legged, two-piece, string bikini. No model was prepared to wear this daring new design until nude dancer Micheline Bernadini was hired. Although it has been said that Heim and Reard’s creation was the first bikini, in actual fact you can see images dating back to the 4th Century of women in bandeau tops and bikini bottoms during athletic competitions [2].
In the early 1950’s, the bikini became less taboo and was often seen on the beaches of the French Riviera. The design did however, remain banned in the US for many years, as it carried the stigma that girls who chose to wear one were promiscuous. In 1951, the style was banned from being worn by all contenders in the Miss World Contest [3]. By 1960, the bikini had sprung to life as the essential holiday fashion item. Brian Hyland’s song ‘Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini’ was a hit in the charts triggering many American teens to dash to the shops and buy one. In 1962 Ursula Andress made it even more fashionable when she wore her famous white bikini in the Bond film ‘Dr.No’. By the 1970’s, the ‘G-string bikini’ was being seen in sunny locations such as Brazil and St.Tropez. It was named the Tanga suit but also known as a ‘thong’, ‘string bikini’ or ‘dental floss’. The bikini does however have more forgiving variations such as the Tankini. The Tankini is a swimsuit with a vest top and bikini bottoms. It has become more and more popular over the years as it covers the stomach area.
Throughout the 1980’s and 1990’s bikini sales slumped due to fashion trends but now the bikini is as popular as it once was during the 1960’s and 1970’s.
Links
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bikini
2. http://www.slate.com/id/2145070/slideshow/2145060/
3. http://www.bikiniatoll.com/Bikiniwaxing.html
Stella’s Take on the Bikini
The Bikini was named after Bikini Atol, the island where the American nuclear bomb had been tested, the sight of a woman’s waist and lower torso was considered that explosive. Today’s climate is much hotter, of course, and explosions occur so much more frequently. However, quantity and intensity are not as important as originality. It is the first age of the bikini that we should consider. In my life I have seen the adoption of the bikini into mainstream. When I was a child on the shores of England you never saw a bikini explode. Women and girls wore the one-piece swimsuit, and it came in many guises. Hand knitted wool or ruched cotton. I was given my first bikini by an Aunt of mine who had grown out of it. It was pink cotton with a pre-formed bra top. More importantly, to me, was that it had white fringed trim, like lampshade fringing. I thought this gave it individuality but my mother thought it looked tarty, so she removed the fringing. I was gutted. After the de-fringing it always had rows of minute holes, where the stitching had been. I don’t even know what my Aunty thought by the way. I did wear it for three or four summers until I got a white one from the catalogue. That would have been about 1969. It was thick, nylon jersey with a halter neck and had the outrageous feature of becoming transparent (almost) when wet. I was horrendously embarrassed, luckily I was and am no swimmer, or it might have started World War III.
