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HISTORICAL TIMELINE OF THE BIKINI BATHING SUIT FROM PEOPLE MAGAZINE (A revealing history of the timeless
two-piece) 1946: An explosive year. Bikini Atoll becomes no Bikini at all. In Paris, engineer Louis Reard quietly unveils a
swimsuit of the same name. The world yawns. 1951: Bikinis, perhaps seen as an unfair advantage to the wearer (and as
potentially dangerous to the health of some judges) are banned from beauty pageants after the Miss World Contest. The
tasteful one-piece reigns supreme. 1957: Bikini-clad Brigitte Bardot frolics in "And God Created Woman," creating a hot
market for the swimwear. Coincidentally, Hollywood markets 3D glasses in theaters. 1960: Brian Hyland sings "Itsy Bitsy Teenie
Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini," triggering a bikini-buying spree among American teens. 1963: The bikini meets a challenge in
the generous form of Annette Funicello. The ex-mouseketeer's "Beach Party," with singer Frankie Avalon, leads to six sequels,
including the memorably titled "How to Stuff a Wild Bikini" (in 1966). No special effects were used. 1964: The bi- ("two") kini
becomes the mono- ("one") kini, in the eyes of designer Rudi Gernreich. The Vatican denounces the topless garb. An
unrepentant Gernreich sells more than 3,000 suits in less than a season in Europe. More Americans go abroad. 1966: The
bikini grows fur in "One Million Years B.C.," which catapults comely cavegirl Raquel Welch to stardom despite mixed reviews of
the saggy screen saga. 1970s: Rio and St. Tropez produce the Tanga suit-- also called the Thong, the string bikinis or "dental
floss." The uncomfortable design becomes de rigeur for teen posters, muscle car magazines and boxing ring girls who
announce the rounds. 1983: Carrie Fisher, as Princess Leia, wears an ornate version of the bikini (studded collar optional) in
"Return of the Jedi." Even Yoda notices. The film is the most successful of the George Lucas trilogy. 1993: Score one for the
"sports bikinis." The hugging halter-top design becomes the rage, thanks to Volleyball queen Gabrielle Reece and MTV.
HISTORY OF THE BIKINI BATHING SUIT Louis Reard (ray-YARD) had this problem. He had designed Something that would
stir the masses. But he needed a name for it, something exotic, bold, and eye opening. Four days before he was to show the
world his new bikinis in Paris, the U.S. Military provided him with a name. They exploded a nuclear device near several small
islands in the Pacific known as the "Bikini Atoll". On July 5th, 1945, he unveiled the bikini. lthough he would later claim he
named the bikini after the islands and not the atomic blast, he was clearly taking advantage of a "hot topic". Another
Frenchmen, Jacques Heim, had created his own two piece bathing suit, which he called "The Atome", and he described it as
"The world's smallest bathing suit. Reard called his "Smaller than the world's smallest bathing suit." Reard's "bikini" was so
small, in fact, that no Parisian models at the time would wear it on the runway. He hired Micheline Bernardini, who had no
qualms about strolling around in bikinis, seeing as her day job was a nude dancer at the Casino de Paris. Bernardini was not
what you'd call a classic beauty, but after photos of her in a reclining pose hit the press, she was swamped with fan mail, close
to 50,000 letters. Two piece suits weren't new. As part of wartime rationing, the U.S. Government, in 1943, ordered a 10
percent reduction in the fabric used in woman's swimwear. Off went the skirt panel, and out came the bare midriff. At beaches
across the country, men paid special attention to women doing their patriotic duty. But Reard pushed the envelope. He shrunk
his suit down to 30 inches of fabric - basically a bra top and two inverted triangles of cloth connected by string - and put the
navel on center stage. The world took notice. In Catholic ountries - Spain, Portugal, and Italy - The bikini was banned.
Decency leagues pressured Hollywood to keep it out of the movies. One writer said it's a "two piece bathing which reveals
everything about a girl except for her mothers maiden name." Movie star Esther Williams who probably was seen in a two piece
bathing suit by more people than anyone in the world, once said: "A bikini is a thoughtless act". It's not clear whether she was
talking about the bikinis or the thought of wearing one. Reard's firm did it's part to fan the fantasies by proclaiming that a two
piece wasn't a bikini "unless it could pulled through a wedding ring." In the '50's Brigitte Bardot did wonders for bikinis
business- But not in modest America. Here it remained an invitation to scandal. As recently as 1957, Modern Girl magazine
sniffed, "It is hardly necessary to waste words over the so called bikini since it is inconceivable that any girl with tact and
decency would ever wear such a thing. By 1960 America was ready for new frontiers, including, it seemed, great expanses of
bare flesh. That year pop singer Brian Hyland immortalized the suit with his song "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot
Bikini." Three years later "Beach Party", the first in a series of Annette Funicello / Frankie Avalon flicks with a recurring theme
of women danicing in bikinis, hit the big screen. Times and tastes change, however, and just as importantly, people age.
Through the '80s and early '90s, the bkini sales began to slide. Sales dropped to less than a third of the women's bathing suit
market. in 1988 Reard's company folded. The bikinis, however, appear to be making a comeback. Sales are up! Some cite the
"Baywatch" factor - or perhaps the Internet itself.
two-piece) 1946: An explosive year. Bikini Atoll becomes no Bikini at all. In Paris, engineer Louis Reard quietly unveils a
swimsuit of the same name. The world yawns. 1951: Bikinis, perhaps seen as an unfair advantage to the wearer (and as
potentially dangerous to the health of some judges) are banned from beauty pageants after the Miss World Contest. The
tasteful one-piece reigns supreme. 1957: Bikini-clad Brigitte Bardot frolics in "And God Created Woman," creating a hot
market for the swimwear. Coincidentally, Hollywood markets 3D glasses in theaters. 1960: Brian Hyland sings "Itsy Bitsy Teenie
Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini," triggering a bikini-buying spree among American teens. 1963: The bikini meets a challenge in
the generous form of Annette Funicello. The ex-mouseketeer's "Beach Party," with singer Frankie Avalon, leads to six sequels,
including the memorably titled "How to Stuff a Wild Bikini" (in 1966). No special effects were used. 1964: The bi- ("two") kini
becomes the mono- ("one") kini, in the eyes of designer Rudi Gernreich. The Vatican denounces the topless garb. An
unrepentant Gernreich sells more than 3,000 suits in less than a season in Europe. More Americans go abroad. 1966: The
bikini grows fur in "One Million Years B.C.," which catapults comely cavegirl Raquel Welch to stardom despite mixed reviews of
the saggy screen saga. 1970s: Rio and St. Tropez produce the Tanga suit-- also called the Thong, the string bikinis or "dental
floss." The uncomfortable design becomes de rigeur for teen posters, muscle car magazines and boxing ring girls who
announce the rounds. 1983: Carrie Fisher, as Princess Leia, wears an ornate version of the bikini (studded collar optional) in
"Return of the Jedi." Even Yoda notices. The film is the most successful of the George Lucas trilogy. 1993: Score one for the
"sports bikinis." The hugging halter-top design becomes the rage, thanks to Volleyball queen Gabrielle Reece and MTV.
HISTORY OF THE BIKINI BATHING SUIT Louis Reard (ray-YARD) had this problem. He had designed Something that would
stir the masses. But he needed a name for it, something exotic, bold, and eye opening. Four days before he was to show the
world his new bikinis in Paris, the U.S. Military provided him with a name. They exploded a nuclear device near several small
islands in the Pacific known as the "Bikini Atoll". On July 5th, 1945, he unveiled the bikini. lthough he would later claim he
named the bikini after the islands and not the atomic blast, he was clearly taking advantage of a "hot topic". Another
Frenchmen, Jacques Heim, had created his own two piece bathing suit, which he called "The Atome", and he described it as
"The world's smallest bathing suit. Reard called his "Smaller than the world's smallest bathing suit." Reard's "bikini" was so
small, in fact, that no Parisian models at the time would wear it on the runway. He hired Micheline Bernardini, who had no
qualms about strolling around in bikinis, seeing as her day job was a nude dancer at the Casino de Paris. Bernardini was not
what you'd call a classic beauty, but after photos of her in a reclining pose hit the press, she was swamped with fan mail, close
to 50,000 letters. Two piece suits weren't new. As part of wartime rationing, the U.S. Government, in 1943, ordered a 10
percent reduction in the fabric used in woman's swimwear. Off went the skirt panel, and out came the bare midriff. At beaches
across the country, men paid special attention to women doing their patriotic duty. But Reard pushed the envelope. He shrunk
his suit down to 30 inches of fabric - basically a bra top and two inverted triangles of cloth connected by string - and put the
navel on center stage. The world took notice. In Catholic ountries - Spain, Portugal, and Italy - The bikini was banned.
Decency leagues pressured Hollywood to keep it out of the movies. One writer said it's a "two piece bathing which reveals
everything about a girl except for her mothers maiden name." Movie star Esther Williams who probably was seen in a two piece
bathing suit by more people than anyone in the world, once said: "A bikini is a thoughtless act". It's not clear whether she was
talking about the bikinis or the thought of wearing one. Reard's firm did it's part to fan the fantasies by proclaiming that a two
piece wasn't a bikini "unless it could pulled through a wedding ring." In the '50's Brigitte Bardot did wonders for bikinis
business- But not in modest America. Here it remained an invitation to scandal. As recently as 1957, Modern Girl magazine
sniffed, "It is hardly necessary to waste words over the so called bikini since it is inconceivable that any girl with tact and
decency would ever wear such a thing. By 1960 America was ready for new frontiers, including, it seemed, great expanses of
bare flesh. That year pop singer Brian Hyland immortalized the suit with his song "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot
Bikini." Three years later "Beach Party", the first in a series of Annette Funicello / Frankie Avalon flicks with a recurring theme
of women danicing in bikinis, hit the big screen. Times and tastes change, however, and just as importantly, people age.
Through the '80s and early '90s, the bkini sales began to slide. Sales dropped to less than a third of the women's bathing suit
market. in 1988 Reard's company folded. The bikinis, however, appear to be making a comeback. Sales are up! Some cite the
"Baywatch" factor - or perhaps the Internet itself.
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