String Bikini

This is a picture of my favorite model Alessandra Ambrioso. She is one of the most popular Victorias Secret models along with Heidi Klum and Tyra Banks. As you can see the "Bathing suit" has come along way from its bathing skirts and bloomers of the 1920's. Today "less is better." The bikini derived its name after Jacques Heim (a fashion designer) saw a string bikini with a g-string back in a fashion show in Paris in 1946. He named it after Bikini Atoll, the site of the nuclear weapon tests a few days before the show. He named it after this on the association that the burst of excitement it caused would be like that of the nuclear explosion. In 1951 bikinis were banned from the Miss World Contest following the crowning of Miss Sweden in a bikini and subsequent protests with a number of countries threatening to withdraw. In 1957, Bridgette Bardot wore a bikini in "And God Created Woman" and sparked the market for bikini swimwear in the U.S. Also in 1960, Brian Hylands song "itsy bitsy teenie weenie yellow polka dot bikini" started a bikini-buying spree. The string bikini (as shown on the model) is a renovation of the traditional bikini that generally consists of the barest minimal fabric coverage for the top and bottoms, both are reduced to triangles of cloth connected by strings. For some women, the string bikini may actually be the most flattering bikini style. The string bikini style looks best on women with small busts or boyish shapes. Because women with small breasts do not need a large amount of bra-style support, a traditional triangle top can serve to add more shape and curve to the breasts. In addition, triangle tops with built-in under wires can work similarly to a push-up bra to maximize the breasts. Today the string bikini is one of the most popular types of swimwear and you can see it on girls as young as 5 to women as old as.......well, we dont want to imagine that.


Rutsky, R.L. "Surfing the Other: Ideology on the Beach," _Film Quarterly_ Vol. 52 No. 4 (summer 1999): 12-23

Photo from: www2.victoriassecret.com/commerce/application/prodDisplay...
Photographer unknown

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/bikini