The Evolution of the Bikini

The Bikini, An Italian Invention?

Over sixty years ago, the now ubiquitous, then controversial swimsuit made its debut at a poolside party in French capital. This day in age, it is hard to comprehend the shock of the general public when this controversial swim attire arrived in the limelight. Even the French models who were supposed to flash the latest trends rejected the bikini. This article will discuss how the bikini became slowly accepted in the Western world, from the French Riviera to the streets of Hollywood, USA, eventually becoming a beachfront staple.

The 1946 introduction of the bikini into the modern world by Frenchmen Jacques Heim and Louis Reard was not the first time women clothed themselves in two-piece, midriff bearing attire. Historians and archaeologists suggest the bikini has been around since the beginning of the Roman Empire. The famous mosaic from the 4th Century AD, found in the Villa Romana del Casale (Piazza Armerina, Sicily), shows several Roman gymnasts wearing bandeau tops and bikini bottoms. Statues of women with cloth covering their private parts were also found in the ruins of Pompeii. Furthermore, since public bathing was a common tradition for ancient civilizations, women in ancient Rome wore swimsuits that bore striking resemblance to modern day bikinis. So, it is safe to surmise that it was not the French, but the ITALIANS who came up with the [original] idea of the bikini.

At the turn of the century, such displays semi-nudity was certainly not permitted. Females went to great lengths to keep themselves modest while swimming at the beach. They were required to wear voluminous bathing costumes and use the bathing machine, a Victorian contraption which consists of a small, wooden hut on wheels. Women were permitted to change into their swimming costumes while the horses (and sometimes, humans!) pulled the cart into the surf. There, she was able swim without being seen from the shoreline.

By the 1940's, the two-piece swimsuit-which usually consisted of a controlled halter-top and modest bottom that covered the navel, derriere and hips (think fluffy granny panties)- were seen on the bodies of Hollywood actresses such as Ava Gardner and Lana Turner. Apparently, showing off one's ribcage was now permitted, but the showing of the female bellybutton was considered scandalous.

Less than twenty years later, the bikini seemed to be more accepted in American circles. Perhaps it was the private pool party that increased the popularity of this hot new item, as it gave women a secluded place to test out the new look. Department store Neiman Marcus advertised the bikini as "a big thing" for the 1960s. Brian Hyland's 1960 song "Itsy Bitsy, Teenie Weenie, Yellow Polka Dot Bikini," helped take on a new meaning for the generation of women who were catching onto the latest swimsuit trend. There were still pre-cautions, however, as the song's protagonist was "afraid to come out of the water."

Finally, the swimsuit appeared in contemporary movies such as Raquel Welch's "One Million Years B.C." which paved the way for popularity and acceptance in the seemingly conservative United States of America.

For a long time, the Brazilian bikini (typically low-slung hipster bottoms and tops that emphasize a larger bust, stabilizing lace-ups and under-wire support) was banned from Catholic countries such as Italy, Portugal and Spain. Since the 1980s, women in many European countries (including Italy) go topless while sunbathing at beaches. The irony here is that while the conservative Catholic countries permit topless women in public, the mainly Protestant United States remains very resistant to this trend.

Once upon a time, the media declared that only "perfect figures" are allowed to wear bikinis. Since then, a number of swimsuit designers have encouraged women of all ages and body types to wear this once provocative two-piece. And should you choose to be a slight bit more modest (or perhaps more seductive), there are now many swimsuit options, which have evolved from the bikini idea. Those include the string bikini, tankini, monokini, microkini, pubikini and the even the sports bikini.

Simply put, the Italians knew what they were doing from the beginning of time. If those living in Pompeii and ancient Rome could see what their strips of cloth have evolved into, I wonder if they would be thrilled? Truth be known: the bikini of the twenty-first century has gotten tamer. It still has the power to sexually stimulate, but it's lost the power to shock.

Sources:

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bikini
• http://www.slate.com/id/2145070/
• http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/biki/hd_biki.htm
• http://www.swimsuit-style.com/bikini.htm

By Laura M. Kuah