Over the years, women have fought against various taboos and ideologies.
Today, wearing a bikini is as common as it is natural, with hundreds of models and brands, it’s impossible not to choose just one for days at the beach or simply for relaxing in a swimming pool or water park. . However, we also know that it was not always so, although the bikini is believed to have originated in the 20th century, there are traces in classical cultures that suggest it may have been born specifically in Rome.
The first bathing suits were not as we know them today, because they were not only ugly but also extremely uncomfortable: They consisted of a short dress over pants so as not to show too much, clearly they were not weren’t meant for swimming, only for getting in the water… and ultimately, not even for that.
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That’s when they started experimenting with making swimsuits with different fabrics and textures ranging from knit to nylon or lycra. This process gave rise to a two-piece swimsuit which until 1946 received the name “bikini” thanks to the automotive engineer Louis Réard, who presented his creation at the Hôtel Molitor in Paris.
Louis Réard named the two-piece swimsuit in honor of the atomic tests that France was conducting at that time in Bikini Atoll. Although the name began to be used in 1946, the truth is that the garment began to be used much earlier when it was still conceived as “forbidden” to show too much at the beach or in recreational aquatic places.
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Actresses who wore bikinis and broke the mould.
However, the bikini has had great exponents who have been inspired to wear it despite the patriarchy and not as a way to “exhibit” their bodies but to empower themselves before traditional thoughts. Here is a list of women who wore bikinis, defying society.
Olivia de Havilland
In 1938, the two-time Oscar-winning British-American actress already wore a bikini with an original floral top.
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Rita Hayworth
In 1946, Rita Hayworth was among the actresses who defied society by opting for a white bikini with high-waisted panties.
Marilyn Monroe
After Louis Réard christened the bikini, Marilyn Monroe wore the sensational garment several times in the 1940s.
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Brigitte Bardot
Brigitte Bardot defied the world of cinema by wearing a bikini in Cannes in 1950, one of the most iconic and memorable appearances.
Jayne Mansfield
Gradually, bikinis were gaining popularity and changing. Jayne Mansfield knew this well in 1954.
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Nathalie Bois
In the late 1950s and early 1960s, a Russian-American actress was not afraid to show off her body. In fact, she was one of the first to opt for innovative prints such as animal or psychedelic prints.
Sue Lyons
Between the 1950s and 1960s, the bikini came to the movies, and one of the garment’s most iconic appearances was by Sue Lyon in 1962. lolita.
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Nancy Sinatra
In 1966, Nancy Sinatra did the same in a bikini with boots, a combination that in 2022 would not be at all uncommon.
The acceptance of the bikini was not so easy, however, some women fought back and inspired women to empower themselves by wearing the garment as they didn’t have to explain their bodies to anyone.
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Story originally published in Spanish in collective culture
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