From the conservative, heavy bloomers and "bathing gowns" to the skimpiest of skimpy bikinis, beachwear through history - from Brazil to Boston - has a story to tell.
Bathing suits - Small, sexy, light, fun, cool. Right? Maybe now, but not always. Few items of clothing have evolved as far as the bathing suit.
It started in the early 1700s, when beaches became a popular destination, thanks in part to railroads. With the beaches came the need for something to wear. Enter "bathing gowns," which were not much different than regular dresses, but were made from material that wouldn't become see-through when wet. These dresses were so big, weights had to be sewn into the hems so they would not rise up in the water. Eventually, women's bathing suits became two-piece - but not like the bikinis of today. Instead, the dresses were combined with pantaloons to give full coverage. Men didn't have it much better. More like long underwear than today's swimming trunks, their swimsuits were made of wool and had long sleeves and legs.
Not a lot changed on the beach until the early 1900s. An Australian swimmer named Annette Kellerman became famous for her fight to allow women to wear a fitted, one-piece, less conservative bathing suit - the popularity of which led to her own line of swimwear. Kellerman was also credited with creating the sport of "synchronized swimming" and, after her swimming career, went on to become a famous actress.
It was in 1907 that Kellerman, an "underwater ballerina," came to the United States and performed the first water ballet - now known as synchronized swimming - in a glass tank at the New York Hippodrome. During that US visit, she went to a beach in Boston, sporting one of her new bathing suits. She was arrested for indecent exposure because her swimsuit showed her arms, legs and neck. She found a compromise and redesigned her suits to have long sleeves, legs and a collar, but kept the close fit.
That accepted change was the beginning of the "shrinking" of the bathing suit that led to today's beyond-skimpy styles. Arms became uncovered. Then legs, up to the mid-thigh, began to be shown. Collars began to lower, eventually down to the top of the bosom. Materials were more relaxed, lighter and closer fitting.
By the end of World War II, the first two-piece bathing suits, dubbed "bikinis" but not much like today's two-piece suits, were created. While not too revealing, the two-piece suits had a space under the breast that exposed bare midriff. Despite the reasonable assumption that the word "bikini" is derived from the word "bi," as in "two," it isn't. The bikini is named after Bikini Atoll, a reef off the South pacific where nuclear weapons were tested. The idea was the two-piece bathing suit would have as explosive an effect as the atomic bombs. In 1946, a bikini was worn by fashion model Micheline Bernaderdini at a Parish fashion show, and its explosive popularity began to soar.
The shrinking continued. At first, through the 1950s, bikini bottoms went up to the navel. Then came the rebellious, revolutionary 1960s, and bikinis were getting smaller and smaller, as celebrated in the popular song "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini." In 1964, a woman in a bikini was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine, another first. Then it was the 1990s, and what emerged was the smallest of the smallest bikini, the thong. The thong, already popular in Brazil, became a fad in the United States.
Today, there are all kinds of bikinis: the thong bikini, triangle bikini, tie-front bikini, halter bikini, demi-cup bikini, cut-out bikini - even frilly bikinis, belt-buckle bikinis and yes, a one-piece bikini. Find more resources about bathing suits and other fashion trends at www.2hotbrazil.com. - 16752
Bathing suits - Small, sexy, light, fun, cool. Right? Maybe now, but not always. Few items of clothing have evolved as far as the bathing suit.
It started in the early 1700s, when beaches became a popular destination, thanks in part to railroads. With the beaches came the need for something to wear. Enter "bathing gowns," which were not much different than regular dresses, but were made from material that wouldn't become see-through when wet. These dresses were so big, weights had to be sewn into the hems so they would not rise up in the water. Eventually, women's bathing suits became two-piece - but not like the bikinis of today. Instead, the dresses were combined with pantaloons to give full coverage. Men didn't have it much better. More like long underwear than today's swimming trunks, their swimsuits were made of wool and had long sleeves and legs.
Not a lot changed on the beach until the early 1900s. An Australian swimmer named Annette Kellerman became famous for her fight to allow women to wear a fitted, one-piece, less conservative bathing suit - the popularity of which led to her own line of swimwear. Kellerman was also credited with creating the sport of "synchronized swimming" and, after her swimming career, went on to become a famous actress.
It was in 1907 that Kellerman, an "underwater ballerina," came to the United States and performed the first water ballet - now known as synchronized swimming - in a glass tank at the New York Hippodrome. During that US visit, she went to a beach in Boston, sporting one of her new bathing suits. She was arrested for indecent exposure because her swimsuit showed her arms, legs and neck. She found a compromise and redesigned her suits to have long sleeves, legs and a collar, but kept the close fit.
That accepted change was the beginning of the "shrinking" of the bathing suit that led to today's beyond-skimpy styles. Arms became uncovered. Then legs, up to the mid-thigh, began to be shown. Collars began to lower, eventually down to the top of the bosom. Materials were more relaxed, lighter and closer fitting.
By the end of World War II, the first two-piece bathing suits, dubbed "bikinis" but not much like today's two-piece suits, were created. While not too revealing, the two-piece suits had a space under the breast that exposed bare midriff. Despite the reasonable assumption that the word "bikini" is derived from the word "bi," as in "two," it isn't. The bikini is named after Bikini Atoll, a reef off the South pacific where nuclear weapons were tested. The idea was the two-piece bathing suit would have as explosive an effect as the atomic bombs. In 1946, a bikini was worn by fashion model Micheline Bernaderdini at a Parish fashion show, and its explosive popularity began to soar.
The shrinking continued. At first, through the 1950s, bikini bottoms went up to the navel. Then came the rebellious, revolutionary 1960s, and bikinis were getting smaller and smaller, as celebrated in the popular song "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini." In 1964, a woman in a bikini was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine, another first. Then it was the 1990s, and what emerged was the smallest of the smallest bikini, the thong. The thong, already popular in Brazil, became a fad in the United States.
Today, there are all kinds of bikinis: the thong bikini, triangle bikini, tie-front bikini, halter bikini, demi-cup bikini, cut-out bikini - even frilly bikinis, belt-buckle bikinis and yes, a one-piece bikini. Find more resources about bathing suits and other fashion trends at www.2hotbrazil.com. - 16752
About the Author:
David Falk operates 2HotBrazil.com. tiniest bikini See the complete line of slingshot bikini products at www.2hotbrazil.com.
