Bikini (called "Bikini" in Hong Kong) generally refers to the swimsuit worn by women when swimming, that is, bikini swimsuit. The name Bikini originally refers to Bikini Island, an uninhabited island in the Marshall Islands in the Pacific Ocean.
Before 1946, Bikini was just a place name—the name of the island where President Truman approved a nuclear bomb test. In the first half of that year, women only dared to swim at the beach wearing "swimming suits" with stand-up collars and flat feet that hugged the body tightly. The beach scene was pitch black.
On July 18, 1946, 18 days after the atomic bombing of Bikini Island in the Marshall Islands, Frenchman Louis Reard launched a bag consisting of three pieces of cloth and four straps. swimsuit. This swimsuit covers the smallest body area in the world. The breasts are protected by a bra. The back is almost naked except for the rope straps. The crotch of the briefs is lifted as much as possible, exposing the buttocks, legs and crotch to the maximum extent. It is simple in form, small and exquisite, using less than 30 inches of fabric, and can be crumpled into a ball and fit into a matchbox.
Until then, swimwear was conservative, covering most of the body. Reard's design, on the other hand, left most of her midriff bare. The swimsuit is made of fabric printed with newspaper sections, and the savvy designer hinted that his bold design will occupy a lot of space in the world's newspapers. Many professional fashion models in Paris at that time were intimidated by this kind of swimsuit because it was almost naked when worn. However, a stripper named Michal Bernardini bravely challenged conventional wisdom by wearing a bikini by a swimming pool and letting reporters take photos. Another bikini was worn on a plastic mannequin.
The appearance of the bikini shocked the world as much as the explosion of the atomic bomb. The ingenious Reard took advantage of the impact of the atomic bomb explosion on Bikini Island and decisively named this two-piece and three-point swimsuit "Bikini", thus making a fortune. Although the new style caused much controversy, it was welcomed in France by "naughty girls who adorned the beaches." After the early buzz died down, the bikini quickly replaced the one-piece swimsuit as the swimsuit worn by women on the beach and while swimming.
In fact, this swimsuit named "Bikini" really shocked the world. Countries along the Mediterranean regard it as a plague, Italy has banned it, the Spanish Coast Guard has expelled people wearing bikinis, and even the United States has arrested people for wearing bikinis.
Australian designer Paula Stafford caused an uproar when she introduced the bikini to Australia in 1952. Beach patrol John Moffat immediately caught a model wearing one of Paula's short swimsuits. "Too short!" he shouted at the top of his lungs as he escorted the model off the beach. Paula was undeterred. She had five other girls put on bikinis, notified the local newspaper and invited the mayor, a priest and the police chief to the scene. Nothing happened, but she achieved amazing publicity.