Swim-wear designed for women’s use need to fulfil two basic functions: provide a sense of decency (includes modesty too) and also give the woman swimmer a degree of flexibility while in the water. The major types of women’s swim wear are bikinis, one-pieces, two-piece sets and a bit recently, and tankini—which is a neologism of tank tops and bikinis. All are part of an on-going fashion revolution in search of the best-selling beach costume. With the change in mores in consonance with the times, minimal swim wear is the order of the day. Sometimes though, conflicts between functionality and fashion can led to debates about the limits of exposure. Women’s swim wear consists basically of two parts – one piece covering the upper torso especially the breasts and the second piece covering the genitals (may include the buttocks or not in the case of thongs). For women wearing this skimpy swimming attire, there is nothing sexually suggestive but instead a demonstration of freedom of sorts, individuality.
Bikinis were named after the Bikini Atolls in the Marshall Islands somewhere in the Pacific where atomic bomb tests were being conducted by the U.S. military. It so happened it was an apt name itself because of the extreme excitement it generated when it was first introduced to the world of fashion in a popular public swimming pool in Paris. Ironically, the first model to wear it was a nude dancer because no one dared to wear it. Since then, women’s swim wear fashion has never been the same again when the first woman to wear it at a beach was arrested and arrested for indecency. When women joined the swimming events at the Olympics, there were no more hang-ups about the women wearing skimpy swim suits. Popular movies such as the James Bond series also featured the leading actress wearing the prescribed swim wear. But the biggest audience of them all, the male species, immediately took a liking to all sorts of skimpy wear that in the words of one cynic “reveals everything about a girl except her mother’s maiden name”. Today, they are accepted in most societies with a number of actresses modelling them. The rise of female athletes such as those competing in the track and field events further gave impetus to the industry. Also, the fitness boom that followed made bikinis extremely popular. Many famous fashion designers include women’s’ swim wear in their product lines. Incidentally, it has also spawned spin-off industries such as sun tanning and bikini waxing. It is truly a quantum leap in moral concerns and sexual attitudes.
Swim-wear designed for women’s use need to fulfil two basic functions: provide a sense of decency (includes modesty too) and also give the woman swimmer a degree of flexibility while in the water. The major types of women’s swim wear are bikinis, one-pieces, two-piece sets and a bit recently, and tankini—which is a neologism of tank tops and bikinis. All are part of an on-going fashion revolution in search of the best-selling beach costume. With the change in mores in consonance with the times, minimal swim wear is the order of the day. Sometimes though, conflicts between functionality and fashion can led to debates about the limits of exposure. Women’s swim wear consists basically of two parts – one piece covering the upper torso especially the breasts and the second piece covering the genitals (may include the buttocks or not in the case of thongs). For women wearing this skimpy swimming attire, there is nothing sexually suggestive but instead a demonstration of freedom of sorts, individuality.
Bikinis were named after the Bikini Atolls in the Marshall Islands somewhere in the Pacific where atomic bomb tests were being conducted by the U.S. military. It so happened it was an apt name itself because of the extreme excitement it generated when it was first introduced to the world of fashion in a popular public swimming pool in Paris. Ironically, the first model to wear it was a nude dancer because no one dared to wear it. Since then, women’s swim wear fashion has never been the same again when the first woman to wear it at a beach was arrested and arrested for indecency. When women joined the swimming events at the Olympics, there were no more hang-ups about the women wearing skimpy swim suits. Popular movies such as the James Bond series also featured the leading actress wearing the prescribed swim wear. But the biggest audience of them all, the male species, immediately took a liking to all sorts of skimpy wear that in the words of one cynic “reveals everything about a girl except her mother’s maiden name”. Today, they are accepted in most societies with a number of actresses modelling them. The rise of female athletes such as those competing in the track and field events further gave impetus to the industry. Also, the fitness boom that followed made bikinis extremely popular. Many famous fashion designers include women’s’ swim wear in their product lines. Incidentally, it has also spawned spin-off industries such as sun tanning and bikini waxing. It is truly a quantum leap in moral concerns and sexual attitudes.
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