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Wisconsin's Bathing Beauties
One of the most daring fashions ever to grace the world's beaches was introduced in Paris 60 years ago this July 5th — the bikini. Designed by Louis Reard, the skimpy two-piece was named for the Pacific Atoll where the hydrogen bomb was first detonated. Although many saw it as a short-lived fad, the bikini has a proved long-lasting fashion icon. It even sparked a popular song in 1960, "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini," that helped seal the bikini's place in popular culture.
Though the bikini's scanty coverage certainly stirred the masses, swimwear has long set modest hearts aflutter. Americans began flocking to beaches and lakeshores for relaxation and recreation in the 19th century. Though most people believed that only men should swim, gradual improvements in swimwear made it possible for women to swim while still retaining their modesty. In the 1880s, the "Princess" cut became a common style for women, consisting of a one-piece blouse and trousers along with a separate knee-length skirt to conceal the figure. The Gimbel Brothers department store in Milwaukee had its own version of the suit called the "Mermaid" which promised not to "gape when ... pulled and hauled over buxom forms."
Suits became lighter and more daring in the early 20th century, losing first the apron and skirt, followed by the matching stockings. Swimming for exercise also became more common and accepted, touted by Esther Eloise McGilvra as a "perfect physical exercise." Many businesses wholly unrelated to swimwear produced "novelty suits" in the late 1920s and 1930s, like this 1934 rubber suit made by the U.S. Rubber Company. The controversy over what constituted appropriate swimwear continued as well. In Madison, a code of decency at public beaches governed swimwear styles and required such things as shoulder straps to remain on both shoulders, as these men demonstrate.
After the bikini was introduced, the ratio of fabric to flesh grew ever more disproportionate throughout the remainder of the 20th century. See more swimwear styles and bathing beauties in our online photo collection, Wisconsin Historical Images.
:: Posted July 5, 2006
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