The Story Of The Swim Suit: The History of Ordinary Things
From human beginnings, swimming and bathing were done naked. During the 1500-1700s, swimming was considered immoral and had to be justified on health grounds.
Modesty in the 1800s Victorian era was an issue at home as well as at the beach. Often bathing was done in a shared room in a large wash tub. Coverage was essential. The bathing outfit, known as a “shift”, was a loose, high neck, knee-length, full-sleeve chemise-type gown made of wool or flannel.
When worn to the beach, women wore bloomer-like trousers under the shift. Small lead weights were sewn into the hem to prevent the dress from floating up in the water. This bathing suit was cumbersome, and even dangerous, in the water. In the late 1800s, little houses on wheels called bathing machines, were pulled in and out of the water by horses to allow women to change in privacy before and after swimming.
ln the early 1900s, a bathing, or swimming, outfit consisted of a bathing dress, drawers, and stockings, often made of wool or cotton. The outfit was so heavy when wet that a woman could not frolic at the beach.
Women first competed in Olympic swimming in 1912. Annette Kellerman, “The Australian Millionaire Mermaid”, was known for swimming the English Channel. She gained fame for her performances in Hollywood movies. In 1905, she was invited to perform in front of the British Royal Family, but her usual swimsuit was banned. It was too tight and revealed the lower half of her legs! Kellerman refused to wear the ill-fitting garment that met the Royal modesty standards. Instead, she sewed black stockings onto her swimsuit to perform. Ultimately, she created her own line of full body swimsuits that covered all but the feet, hands, and head.
The wool knitted swimsuits at the turn of the twentieth century tended to become misshapen when wet. The suit would sag threatening one’s modesty. In 1931, Lastex yarn in women’s swimwear was introduced. This elastic yarn made of a rubber core wrapped in thread resulted in a suit that held its shape.
In 1932, a backless swimsuit with a built-in brassiere was patented by Elsa Schiaparelli, specifically for sunbathing. The bikini debuted in 1946 consisting of only four triangles of fabric held together with string. The designer, Louis Reard, hired a stripper to model it as professional models refused to pose in it. The Vatican called it sinful. The bikini was banned in Spain, Italy, Portugal, Australia, and Belgium.
In America, exposing the belly button in a bikini was strictly taboo. In 1963 Disney Mouseketeer Annette Funicello wore a pink bikini with no navel exposure in “Beach Party”. Funicello made the bikini popular with American women.
Initially bikinis were banned from beauty pageants worldwide. The Miss America pageant did not permit two-piece swimsuits until 1977.
Nylon fabric in swimwear came in 1956. Spandex was introduced in the 1970s. The new fabrics reduced water drag and improved the durability of swimsuits. We’ve come a long way, baby!
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