With the summer fast approaching, I thought it worthwhile to consider part of our culture that is so endemic we probably don't even realise it is part of our popular culture: a day at the beach. For the next few weeks I want to consider some of the things we wear and what we do when we go to the beach. So that next time you plonk yourself in the sand and smell coconut oil you are not only transported back in time but you are prompted to share some of your favourite beach memories here.
The main components necessary for a trip to the beach include:
- something to swim in - budgie smugglers for boys, bikinis for girls?
- hat- wide brim if you're a girl, terry towelling bucket cap if you're a boy
- pair of rubber thongs to protect feet from the hot sand
- a decent pair of sunnies - style depends upon your vintage
- a swipe of zinc to go on the nose - coloured only if you're a cricketer
- a bottle of suntan lotion - possibly one with a coconut/tropical smell
- towel - large and preferably covered with a lurid pattern and a fringe
- beach bag - something for mum to fill and you to carry....
- a beach umbrella - long spike that threatens impalement to anyone nearby
Today I want to consider number 1 - beach wear and specifically, the bikini. We have all seen photos like this that remind us that swimwear was woollen and cumbersome and somewhat foolish looking. First invented by Jansen for the Olympics - before the swimsuit people bathed naked. Though not together obviously (?).Science and the Bikini - Bikiniology
In 1946, the modern bikini was unveiled by a French engineer named Louis Réard. His four pieces of triangular material (picture above) looks like it was made of cotton. Surely not woollen like the swimsuits of yore. It didn't take off straight away - it needed a more elastic material to keep everything in place. With the development of Lastex in 1925, material now had stretch; Dupont's nylon was the next most important fabric (1938) followed by Spandex (aka Lycra) in 1958 According to Bikini Science website the bikini has been made of linen, rubber, silk, fur, leather and suede (a soft leather). Clearly not everyone imagines that they will actually SWIM in these items of beachwear; in fact surveys have shown that approximately 85% of bikinis are not worn in the water.
The Bikini and Fame
Still it continued to increase in popularity and in size: starlet Brigette Bardot wore one on the beach in Cannes and attracted considerable media attention. Marilyn Monroe's spotted bikini covers her navel; navel covering was very important in the USA - in fact magazines airbrushed navels out of photo shoots. The famed "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini" was released several years later (1960). But perhaps the most celebrated bikini was the one worn in Dr No (1962)-- the white bikini (not a two piece) worn by Ursula Andress. Later came Rachel Welch in One Million Years BC (1969). The bikini now had mainstream acceptance. On television the uptake of the bikini is less clear. Gidget might have worn a two piece but in Baywatch female "lifeguards" wore one pieces.
Moral Panic
As can be imagined not everyone warmed to Réard's swimsuit, It has been banned in many countries and, the Catholic Church stepped in and decreed it immoral. It is still banned in some American states. But still not EVERYONE hated it .... Réard received more than 50,000 fan letters and launches an aggressive ad campaign saying it's not a real bikini "unless it could be pulled through a wedding ring." GULP.
In Australia that some people had the onerous job of "inspecting bikinis" (which also lead to a the "hilarious" bikini inpsector teeshirts) and any women wearing a bikini with a side of less than 10 cms could receive an on-the-spot fine. Here are the rules
The Local Government Act, Ordinance No. 52 (1935) set exact dimensions for swimming
costumes ... men’s and women's costumes must have legs at least 3" long, must completely cover the front of the body from a line at the level of the armpits to the waist, have shoulder straps or other means of keeping the costume in position.
In 1945 an unnamed woman braved the Bondi promenade
wearing a bikini in and according
to a Sunday Telegraph report in 1946 'caused
a near riot'. Waverley Council Lifeguard (then
known as Beach Inspectors) Aub Laidlaw told
her she was indecently attired and ordered her
to changing sheds at Bondi Pavilion with
instructions to put on some more clothes.
She was later charged with offensive behaviour.
Another newspaper report recounts this
same story but with this first bikini girl
appearing on the beach in September 1946, yet
another newspaper report claims October that year
with the girl in the bikini being mobbed by 'hundreds of young surfers'(http://www.waverley.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/8666/BikiniArrestsBondiBeach.pdf).
The ordinance was revoked in 1961.
The Bikini in Australia
Gold Coast fashion designer Paula Stafford started making them after the war (for more read Bikini: The Paula Stafford Story) and made her name a designer. In 1952 a woman wearing a Stafford bikini was asked to leave the beach. However, it gained acceptance in Australia much more quickly than it did overseas. As a counterpoint to all this banning and measuring, the bikini was adopted by the Gold Coast in one of the most brilliant marketing campaigns ever. The Meter Maids. In 1965 the first meter maids - clad in gold lame bikinis and tiaras - trod the streets of Surfers Paradise plugging parking meters with coins. These had been recently introduced and were not popular - they meant you couldn't go to the beach and enjoy a day in the sun. So the Gold Coast City Council had meter maids plug a sixpence into the meter so you didn't receive a fine. Even today, they will give you an extra ten minutes.
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| Mankini |
Since those heady days of banning - the bikini has become see through (tankini--does anyone esle remember Piz Buins's versions?), a monokini, and (gawdforbid), mankini.
It has declined in popularity because of sun cancer but recently has clawed its way back. It isn't really practical as a swimming garment and so is often bought and not worn. It remains one of the most popular pieces of swimwear in the world-- it evolves and changes but still retains a visceral hold in Australia.
The Meaning of the Bikini
Culturally the bikin has become emblematic of liberation (women's) and as an icon of sexual freedom, increased awareness of body and body shape, and moral concerns. As Olivier Saillard observed "The emancipation of swimwear has always been linked to the emancipation of women". It is still largely the garment of choice for younger women or women with more socially acceptable bodies. European women of all shapes and sizes however have no qualms with donning the bikini.
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