Bikinis – An Introduction
A bikini is a women’s swim-suit, composing of two separate parts – one covering the chest, the other the groin, and optionally the buttocks, leaving the woman’s skin visible, between the two garments.
Both parts of a bikini closely resemble women’s undergarments, so the bottom part of a bikini can range from the more revealing style of a g-string or thong, to briefs and the much more modest square cut shorts.
Modern Origin
Officially, the modern bikini was invented by a French engineer, named Louis Reard, and fashion designer Jacques Heim in Paris (1946) and was introduced on July 5th at a fashion show at Piscine Molitor. This first garment was a string bikini with a g-string back.
However, women in Paris were wearing bikinis one year before the bikini was “invented”. This fact is documented with pictures in the ‘Life’ Magazine (July 16, 1945), although the article merely spoke of “French Bathing Suits”. Though the name had not yet been adopted, the swimsuits that the Parisian women were wearing are clearly recognizable as bikinis in both their style and coverage.
Reard’s suit was an enhancement of Jacques Heim’s work who, two months earlier, had introduced the “Atome” (named for its size), and it was advertised as the world’s “smallest bathing suit”.
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Bikinis in Modern Culture
In Malta bikinis took some time to be socially acceptable. In the 60’s the police fended off a request from Bishop Michael Gonzi’s to ban bikini-clad tourists? following fear of compromising Malta as a tourist destination.
People that are familiar with Bikini Atoll’s history – particularly opponents of nuclear proliferation – may find the root and use of the word “bikini”, for a garment, as inappropriate, given its tongue-in-cheek “explosive” reputation effectively reduces the significance of a serious historic humanitarian crisis to a mere popular culture sex symbol in the minds of most people. The term “two-piece” is considered a neutral alternative.
Bikini Waxing
A bikini wax involves the removal of pubic hair around the “bikini” area. This is a fairly common procedure in the United States. The procedure is similar to that for the more extreme Brazilian wax. Unlike the Brazilian wax, a bikini wax can be performed privately in the home, but it is generally more convenient to have a licensed professional perform the procedure.
Brazilian waxing
Brazilian waxing is another type of waxing, involving the bikini area. This procedure involves the complete removal of hair from the buttocks and adjacent to the orifices and the area that connects them . It is a more thorough/extreme form of bikini waxing. Brazilian waxing procedures normally leave a strip of pubic hair above the vulva. While mainly associated with females, the practice is engaged in by males as well.
