The evolution of the bikini: from the object of the Vatican's curses to a career growth tool
When Michelle Bernardini starred on July 5, 1946 in such a revealing bathing suit that it could fit into a matchbox in her hand, waves of indignation rose around the world. At the same time, a fashion trend was born, which lives and lives to this day. Since then, 70 years have passed, and the bikini is not losing popularity.
It all started with the idea of the Parisian engineer Louis Reard, who came up with the bikini. The only person he could get to wear his invention was a naked dancer who was not very respected in society. But these days, the most famous supermodels are making a career at photo shoots in barely distinguishable bikinis, and at least someone would say a word.
The history of the bikini perfectly reflects the history of modernity and accompanies the evolution of ideas about the ideal body, shapes and sizes. From the wide hips, buttocks and slim waists of the 1950s to the powerful, athletic figures of the supermodels of the 1980s and the subtle "heroin chic" of the 1990s, the bikini frames the history of public taste and fashion.
In the 1960s, the bikini was a symbol of women's emancipation, which allowed them to shed the modest clothes of the conservative era, and now it emphasizes how much society puts pressure on women who strive for an ideal figure and torture themselves with too strict diets.
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Rear, who headed his mother's underwear business in 1940, proposed a revealing two-piece swimsuit as a response to the shortage of the war years and the need to save on fabric. In addition, he also began to notice how women roll up the edges of their bathing suits on the beach to expose their bodies more and get a more even tan. Then he decided to make a wardrobe item out of four triangles, using only 30 square inches of fabric. Pictured is Michel Bernardini in 1946.
Knowing that his audacious design would cause an emotional reaction in society, he decided to name his invention "bikini" after the US Army conducted nuclear tests on the Bikini atoll in the South Pacific Ocean. The bikini had the effect of an exploding bomb. Model Michelle Bernardini received 50,000 letters from fans, the Vatican declared the new swimsuit sinful, and Italy, Belgium, Spain, Portugal and Australia banned it. It took several years before the new swimsuit model became widespread. After the war, conservatism was still strong in society. The photo shows a young Brigitte Bardot in a mandatory wardrobe item for all novice starlets, a bikini, in 1952.
Despite all this, the UK was at the forefront in terms of bikinis. Now it may seem ironic, but the Miss World contest, which feminists dislike so much, tried to advertise a bikini that was supposed to free women from terribly uncomfortable and restricting the movement of old models of bathing suits.
In 1951, Eric Morley, as part of the celebration of the Festival of Britain, organized a Bikini Festival Contest (The Festival Bikini Contest), which later turned into "Miss World". When the winner from Sweden was crowned in a bikini, religious countries, especially Catholic ones, threatened that they would no longer participate in the contest. After that, "Miss World" was held only in swimsuits.
Historians note that, despite the cautious attitude of society towards bikinis in the middle of the XX century, the swimsuit had prototypes before. In Sicily, there are mosaics of the IV century AD, which depict athletes in bikinis. In the photo — a young Marilyn Monroe in a bikini with a fold on her stomach. In 1962, this was the norm, but now they would have been pecked for it.
For athletes of those times, the bottom of the bikini, resembling a loincloth, and a strapless bodice were the main clothes for training. On ancient Greek urns and drawings dating back to 1400 BC, female athletes are depicted in similar outfits.
But in the XX century, the merit of the final fixation of the bikini on the fashionable Olympus belongs to 18-year-old Brigitte Bardot. In 1952, she played in the film "Manina, the girl in a bikini", in which she appears on the screen several times in revealing swimsuits. Due to public outrage, the film was released in the United States six years later. At that time, the country had a cinematic code of modesty and decent behavior on the screen, but since the film was French, he managed to circumvent these prohibitions. A year after filming the film, Bardot posed in a bikini on the beaches of Cannes during the Cannes Film Festival. After that, a bikini photo shoot became a career springboard for aspiring starlets around the world, including Marilyn Monroe, Anita Ekberg and Diana Dors. In the photo on the left — Ursula Andress in the 1962 film "Doctor Know", on the right — Raquel Welch, the embodiment of the liberated 1960s, in 1968.
The stars of the 1950s in bikinis had a soft seductiveness, but today's stars would not forgive themselves for such a lack of muscle tone. All these folds on the stomach, what a horror! Now stars in bikinis have a flat stomach with strong abs, sometimes even embossed. Another proof that a bikini gives not only a great view of the naked parts of the bodies, but also food for thought. In the old days, folds and fullness were signs of femininity, and now girls tend to show as much muscle and relief as possible.
One of the best examples of a feminine figure, fashionable in the old days, is Ursula Andress in the 1962 film Doctor Know. She emerged from the sea like Venus, dressed in a white wet bikini with a wide belt and a scabbard for a dirk. This ensured her success, and the scene was included in the rating of the sexiest episodes in cinema. From that moment on, all men wanted someone like her, and women wanted to be like her, so bikini sales skyrocketed, and modesty went to hell. In the photo on the left — Jacqueline Smith from "Charlie's Angels" in 1976, on the right — Joan Collins during the TV series "Dynasty" in 1982.
If in the 1960s and 1970s the bikini was a symbol of emancipation, by the 1980s women began to perceive it as a status symbol, and models appeared for relaxing by the pool, playing ball on the beach and diving, with metallic reflections, beads and rhinestones, and even gold, like Joan Collins. By the mid-1990s, when supermodel Elle MacPherson came into fashion, who herself released an extremely successful line of swimwear and underwear, it was common to dissect on the beach in high-waisted panties that visually lengthened the legs, and in a small, sporty type or, conversely, in a breast-enlarging bodice. Pictured is Elle MacPherson in 1993.
On the boyish figure of Geri Halliwell in 2001 — a small bikini with thong panties. On the right — the gorgeous Helen Mirren in 2008 proves that a mature woman can look great in a bikini.
Model Kelly Brook and her doll figure in 2013.
Keywords: Bikinis | Swimwear | Then and now | Evolution