The History of the Modern Bikini
Today’s bikini swimsuit is now 60 years old. Credit for this tiny bathing suit is given to Louis Reard. He introduced the world to his creation July 5, 1946. But it seems that two months earlier Jacques Heim unveiled a two piece swimsuit named the “Atome” and billed as “The world’s smallest bathing suit”. But Reard was better at marketing. He named his creation after Bikini Atoll, where the hydrogen bomb was tested. None of the models in Paris would wear the bikini on the fashion show runway, so Reard hired Michelle Bernardini - a nude dancer at the Casino de Paris for it’s introduction. The bikini has had the same effect on society as that atomic bomb. But it took a while for the effects to be felt.
In Europe, the bikini quickly became popular. Possibly due to the unexpected consequences of it’s being banned in several Catholic countries; Spain, Portugal and Italy. Perhaps this rash governmental action made the act of wearing a bikini on the French Rivera even sweeter for the revolutionary women of the day.
However, in the United States it took 15 years before the bikini became popular. While this new bathing suit had great interest, U.S. sales were quite slow. America was just too conservative then. Both men and women felt that the bikini was simply too revealing to wear on the beach (or anywhere else).
An unexpected series of events occurred to change the bikini’s fate in the U.S. In 1957, the movieAnd God Created Woman featured actress Brigitte Bardot and a rather famous (at that time, infamous) bikini. Then in 1960 a pop song “Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini” by Brian Hyland gave a huge push to the bikini’s U.S. popularity. Finally in 1963, a series of beach party movies hit the big screen. These films starred Annette Funicello (a former Disney Mousketeer) and Frankie Avalon (a popular singer), and featured bikini clad girls dancing on the beach. It took a media blitz to push the bikini into an acceptable position in the U.S.
The original bikini has evolved since 1946. Each new variation becoming smaller and more revealing than the last (usually). After the original bikini the steps in the evolution go roughly like this;
String Bikini - The first update to the original. It is named after the fact that the top and bottom are made up of a pair of cloth triangles connected by strings. It has been said that the string bikini may actually be the most flattering and versatile style.
Monokini - Just a bikini bottom, used where topless sunbathing is accepted. This style was “invented” by Rudi Genreich.
Tankini- This is a combination of a tank top and a bikini bottom.
Brazilian Bikini - A string bikini with the bottom cut to be more revealing, the back is cut narrow to reveal more of the woman’s “cheeks”.
Thong - An improvement on the Brazilian Bikini. Again the back of the bottom has been reduced. But on a Thong the back is a very narrow strip of fabric or a string that is tucked between the wearer’s “cheeks”. Yes, this style reveals the woman’s entire buttocks. When worn by a woman with a good figure (and a nice backside) it is very revealing and very sexy!
Mini and Micro Bikini / Extreme Bikini - These take the inspiration of the Brazilian Bikini to even smaller proportions. Both top and bottom, front and rear, are reduced in size. The Mini is quite small and the Micro is even smaller yet! These terms have even been combined to form the MiniMicro Bikini, which is even tinier!!! Then the designers combined these teeny, tiny suits with a thong bottom. All of these bikinis may be referred to as Extreme Bikinis.
The bikini has even changed feminine grooming and the popular language of America, and most of the world. By now, most everyone over the age of puberty has heard of bikini waxing. Many have even heard of Brazilian waxing. But how about the “bikini line“? All of these are feminine grooming techniques and they all have also landed in our everyday language.
Bikini waxing is a method of hair removal in the pubic area. It is the removal of any hair that would be visible while wearing a bikini bottom, or the “bikini line“ area (the general area just outside of the bikini bottom). The method of removal tends to be rather “uncomfortable” owing to the facts that;
1. A layer of wax is applied to the unwanted hair.
2. A “waxing strip” of fabric is placed on the wax and left until the wax has hardened.
3. The strip is ripped away, “removing” (or yanking out by the roots!) the unwanted hair (YIPE)!
This process is repeated until all undesired hair has been removed from the “bikini line” area. (General Note: If men had to shave this way I believe they would have REALLY long beards!)
Brazilian waxing is another waxing method. Except where a bikini wax leaves the pubic hair that is covered by the bikini bottom, the Brazilian wax removes everything! (OUCH!) An extreme bikini wax for those young women wearing extreme bikinis.
About 60 years ago a Frenchman designed, introduced and marketed a revolutionary bathing suit, the bikini. It has survived being banned, slow initial sales and U.S. resistance. But once it took off there was no stopping it. And now the bikini seems to have a life of it’s own, helping to change modern culture.