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Bikini
A bikini or two-piece is a type of women's swimsuit, characterized by two
separate parts — one covering the breasts, the other the groin (and
optionally the buttocks), leaving an uncovered area between the two
garments. It is often worn in hot weather and while swimming. The shapes of
both parts of a bikini closely resemble women's underwear, and the lower
part of a bikini can therefore range from the more revealing thong or
g-string to briefs and the more modest square-cut shorts.
Two-piece garments worn by women for athletic purposes have been observed on
Greek urns and paintings, dated as early as 1400 BC. Ancient artwork from
over 1700 years ago in Villa Romana del Casale have depicted women in
bikinis. [1]
Sometimes the term bikini is used to describe the type of man's swimsuit
also known as a speedo.
Modern origin
According to the official version, the modern bikini was invented by French
engineer Louis Réard and fashion designer Jacques Heim in Paris in 1946 and
introduced on July 5 at a fashion show at Piscine Molitor in Paris. It was a
string bikini with a g-string back. It was named after Bikini Atoll, the
site of nuclear weapon tests a few days earlier in the Marshall Islands, on
the reasoning that the burst of excitement it would cause would be like the
nuclear device.
Reard's suit was a refinement of the work of Jacques Heim who, two months
earlier, had introduced the "Atome" (named for its size) and advertised it
as the world's "smallest bathing suit". Reard 'split the "atome"' even
smaller, but could not find a model who would dare to wear his design. He
ended up hiring Micheline Bernardini, a nude dancer from the Casino de Paris
as his model[2].
Bikini-style swimwear existed for many years before the first official
bikini, however. The July 9, 1945, issue of Life, for example, shows women
in Paris wearing similar items. Films of holidaymakers in Germany in the
1930s show women wearing two-piece bathing suits. Anyone who has seen the
elaborately and lavishly assembled Busby Berkeley film spectacle, Footlight
Parade of 1932 (with James Cagney, Dick Powell, Ruby Keeler, Joan Blondell,
etc.), would have been treated to a stunning aquachoreography that profusely
featured what could only be regarded as bikini swimwear. They were to be
seen again a year later in Gold Diggers of 1933.
Bikinis in modern culture
In 1951 bikinis were banned from the Miss World Contest following the
crowning of Miss Sweden in a bikini and subsequent protests with a number of
countries threatening to withdraw. In 1957, however, Brigitte Bardot's
bikini in And God Created Woman created a market for the swimwear in the US,
and in 1960, Brian Hyland's pop song "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka
Dot Bikini" inspired a bikini-buying spree [3]. In 1962, an icon was born as
Bond Girl Ursula Andress emerged from the sea wearing a white bikini in Dr.
No. Finally the bikini caught on, and by 1963, the movie Beach Party,
starring Annette Funicello (emphatically not in a bikini, by mentor Walt
Disney's personal request) and Frankie Avalon, led a wave of films that made
the bikini a pop-culture symbol.
In Malta, bikinis took time to be introduced. In the 1960s, the police
fended off Bishop Michael Gonzi's request to ban bikini clad tourists
following fear of compromising Malta as a tourist destination. Malta Labour
Party girls felt safe putting on bikinis during beach parties but this was
unacceptable by those supporting the Nationalist Party.
On beaches and certain parks in Europe, the top part of the bikini is
sometimes not worn.
Development of the bikini
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In recent years, the term monokini has come into use for topless bathing by
women: where the bikini has two parts, the monokini is the lower part. Where
monokinis are in use, the word bikini may jokingly refer to a two-piece
outfit consisting of a monokini and a sun hat. The term was coined by Rudi
Gernreich.
The tankini is a swimsuit combining a tank top and a bikini bottom of the
traditional bikini that generally consists of the barest minimal fabric
coverage for the top and bottoms, both are reduced to triangles of cloth
connected by strings. The tankini is not a flattering style for most. Many
prefer it to the bikini because it covers their stomach, but in actuality it
draws more attention to the stomach. Because it cuts the body in half it can
make one appear shorter or heavier. For many women, the string bikini may
actually be the most flattering bikini style. The string bikini style looks
best on women with small busts or boyish shapes. Because women with small
breasts do not need a large amount of bra-style support, a traditional
triangle top can serve to add more shape and curve to the breasts. In
addition, triangle tops with built-in under wires can work similarly to a
push-up bra to maximize the breasts.
The lower part of the bikini was further reduced in size in the 1970s to the
Brazilian thong, where the back of the suit is so thin that it disappears
into the buttocks.
Female athletes who play beach volleyball professionally usually wear
two-pieces.
Media depiction
The sex appeal of the apparel prompted numerous film and television
productions as soon as public morals changed to accept it. They include the
numerous surf movies of the early 1960s and the television series, Baywatch.
Iconic portrayals of bikinis in movies include Ursula Andress as Bond girl
Honey Ryder in Dr. No (1962), Raquel Welch as the prehistoric cavegirl in
the 1966 film One Million Years B.C., and Phoebe Cates in the 1982 teen film
Fast Times at Ridgemont High. These scenes were recently ranked 1, 86, and
84 in Channel 4 (UK)'s 100 Greatest Sexy Moments (in film) respectively.
In addition, a variant of the bikini popular in fantasy literature is a
bikini that is made up of metal to serve as (admittedly rather impractical)
armor, sometimes referred to as a "chain mail bikini" or "brass bikini"; the
character Red Sonja is a famous example. A term for such usage, where sex
appeal is more important than actual practicality, is babes-at-arms
(parodying "men-at-arms" for fully armoured soldiers).
In science fiction, Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi features the
notable "Princess Leia's metal bikini" costume, that is worn by the
character Princess Leia when she is held captive at the film's beginning.
This particular "bikini" has since been elevated to pop culture icon status,
spawning various spoofs and parodies (most notably the episode of Friends,
The One with the Princess Leia Fantasy) and even a dedicated fansite, Leia's
Metal Bikini.
An Alternative history of the naming of the Bikini comes from The Gang of
Four (band) song "I Found That Essence Rare". The Bikini is suggested to be
"...dressed for the H-Bomb..." It is a bitterly sarcastic political
statement about what protection we may offer against such a technology in
parallel with the damage cause to Bikini Atoll.
* The song "I Found That Essence Rare" by Gang of Four includes the lyrics:
Aim for the body rare, you'll see it on TV
The worst thing in 1954 was the Bikini
See the girl on the TV dressed in a Bikini
She doesn't think so but she's dressed for the H-Bomb[1]
References
1. ^ http://freshgasflow.com/ourcrazyplanet/sexy/ancient_bikini.htm
2. ^ The first bikini
3. ^ History of the Bikini
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