At the beginning of the twentieth century, the fashion for women's clothing did not evolve significantly. Women's bodies remained concealed from the neck to the ankles. This was also true for swimsuits, which were made of heavy fabrics and were not very comfortable when wet.
After the First World War, in the 1920s, societal morals were liberated. This marked the beginning of women's emancipation, which significantly impacted women's bathing costumes. Gradually, the sleeves became shorter, the legs were exposed, and the neckline began to lower modestly before eventually becoming more revealing.
The fabrics used in the production of one-piece swimsuits have evolved over time. Initially made from wool, which was uncomfortable and impractical, swimsuits began to incorporate synthetic fibers such as rayon in the 1920s. Rayon, a semi-synthetic fiber, is significantly lighter, more breathable, and offers better water resistance compared to wool.
Almost simultaneously, lastex emerged to revolutionize the swimwear worn by women. This elastic synthetic rubber thread enabled the creation of more refined, fitted, tighter, and practical designs in the 1930s. These swimsuits often featured lower necklines and sometimes even belts to accentuate the silhouette.
However, their use remains marginal compared to the woolen uniform, which still largely predominates.
In 1935, the first modern two-piece swimsuit was introduced, featuring a mid-rise top and a high-waisted bottom. This design, considered very daring for its time, marked a significant milestone in the evolution of swimwear and paved the way for the iconic bikini, created in France by Louis Réard in 1946.
The first bikini is a bold and revolutionary two-piece swimsuit that forever changed the landscape of swimwear design. Its minimalist design represented a radical departure from the modesty and conservatism of the time. Consisting of a bra-like top and panties, the bikini was designed to be form-fitting and liberating, accentuating the natural contours of the female body.
On July 5, 1946, at the Molitor swimming pool in Paris, Réard could not find any model willing to present his new invention to the public. Only the famous nude dancer, Micheline Bernardini, volunteered to dare to wear this revolutionary two-piece that was too avant-garde for the morality of the time.
Réard's presentation went largely unnoticed, except by the Vatican's religious authorities in Rome, who condemned and banned the bikini in 1947.
Indeed, the bikini is considered scandalous, and wearing it is perceived as immoral, indecent, and vulgar.
Subsequently, throughout the 1950s, the bikini became a more acceptable garment, especially due to star actresses such as Brigitte Bardot, Jayne Mansfield (photo), Marilyn Monroe, and Diana Dors, who wore it in films or at film festivals in Cannes or Venice. Even British Princess Margaret, photographed on a yacht in 1950 on the outskirts of the Costa del Sol, helped to make the bikini better known.
During the 1950s, swimwear models became more varied, featuring high-waisted bottoms and different styles of tops, such as halter tops and bandeaux. However, the one-piece swimsuit remained far more popular and best-selling, with more flattering cuts. The use of stretchy and elastic materials like lycra and nylon became more common, improving fit and comfort.
However, the wearing of bikinis on public beaches remained forbidden during those years, with the exception of the Mediterranean beaches in the south of France, and in Spain where, In order not to harm tourism, Franco's (photo) fascist regime surprisingly allowed women to wear the two small triangles of fabric that make up this kind of swimsuit.
The bikini was banned in Germany until 1970. However, in other regions, particularly in America, the rise of private swimming pools in the 1960s provided many women with the opportunity to wear this type of swimsuit without the scrutiny of onlookers.
Other reasons delayed the popular adoption of this piece of clothing. In politics, in France, communist thought "embarks" the bikini in the class struggle, due to its very high price, making it accessible only to the wealthy upper bourgeois class.
Feminists, on the other hand, oppose the bikini because, according to them, it reduces those who wear it to the status of an object, or objects of sexual desire.
Fashion magazines such as "Elle," Marie Claire, and Vogue were not particularly enamored with the bikini at this time, until the latter magazine declared it the "garment of the season" in 1959, having scorned it eight years earlier.
There was also a form of self-censorship in the sense that bikinis were deemed appropriate only for young women or teenage girls who conformed to beauty standards, namely: slim, without physical defects, and especially "without a big belly".
It referred to a kind of stereotype, a form of discrimination against imperfect, even unsightly bodies. Perhaps a legacy of the pin-up girls and the beautiful movie stars who made the bikini famous in the 1950s.
It was not until the women's liberation movements and the sexual revolution of the 1960s that the bikini became a staple of popular fashion and conquered beaches worldwide.
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