Funky Friday ~ Brief History of the Bikini!

It's that time of year that most of us dread...shopping for a winter getaway swimsuit!  Recently, I was searching the racks of tankini's, (passing by all the teeny, tiny bikinis with a quick thought of 'some of these are so small!'), and it got me to thinking.  What would people of years ago think of how time has changed the sizes and styles of the bikini!  And how it has changed!  Come along with me as I give you a glimpse into the revolution of the bikini.

Who would have thought that the bikini went back as far as 300 AD!  This mosaic  from Villa Romana del Casale in Sicily, Italy shows women looked great in bikinis even then!

Here is a photo of French engineer Louis Reard who is credited with designing the bikini in 1946. He decided to name his creation the bikini, after the nuclear testing the US military had just completed at Bikini Atoll.  He was hoping it would be as 'explosive' as that test!

Bridget Bardot is widely credited with the popularity of the bikini.  He she is at the Cannes Film Festival at the ripe old age of 18!  In my opinion, the age that the tummy looks best!

1960 This popular song reaches #1 spot on the Billboard hot 100!  Can you name it?

1962 - Ursula Andress emerges from the Caribbean as 'Honey Rider' in the James Bond Flick, Dr. No.

1964 - Sports Illustrated debuts it's first Swimsuit Issue.  The story behind it is the editor at the time was having a difficult time finding a decent sporting event to write about so he asked his fashion reporter to fill some space, including the cover.  The rest is history!

1966 - Raquel Welch wears a fur bikini in the film, 'One Million Years BC.  Years later she was quoted as saying she never wanted to wear it.  For the life of me...I can't understand why!  She looks gorgeous!

1983 - Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia in 'Return of the Jedi'.  She referred to it as 'the titanium thing'.

1997 - Miss America contestants were allowed to wear 2 piece swimsuits during the swimsuit competition.  It was the first time since they had been banned from the competition in 1947.

2002 - Another James Bond stunner emerges from the Caribbean.  Halle Berry looks amazing as Giacinta "Jinx" Johnson.

There you have it!  I'd post a pic of some of the more recent versions of the bikini but since this is a family friendly site, I'll let you go research those on your own!  My moral of the story (blog) is, not all of us are bikini ready and some of us never will be!  Be courteous to others around you.  Bikini's are NOT one size fits all!  Wear it only if it fits!

Until next time...