The history of women’s swimwear is really a history of women’s liberation. Each inch of fabric removed represented a battle won against restrictive social norms.
Early 1900s beachgoers wore woolen dresses with weights in the hem to prevent rising in water. Modesty laws required coverage from neck to knees, with “swimming tailors” on hand to alter suits deemed too revealing. In 1915, Coney Island banned suits showing “dimpled knees.”
Australian athlete Annette Kellerman changed the game in 1907 with her form-fitting one-piece. Though possibly arrested for indecency, her practical design caught on. By the 1920s, California’s “skirts be hanged girls” movement promoted functional swimwear allowing actual swimming.
The 1946 bikini caused international outrage. Banned across Europe and America, condemned by religious leaders, the navel-baring two-piece was considered morally dangerous. A famous 1957 photo allegedly shows an Italian police officer ticketing a bikini wearer, though historians debate its authenticity.
Screen stars like Brigitte Bardot and Ursula Andress transformed the bikini’s image in the 1950s-60s. No longer scandalous, it became glamorous – especially after Andress’s iconic Dr. No beach scene. By the 1970s, even conservative areas accepted two-pieces.
Modern swimwear celebrates diversity rather than enforcing modesty. The struggle from full-body wool to today’s styles represents women’s ongoing fight for bodily autonomy and self-expression.
