Bikini Evolution: From being known as a scandalous outfit to becoming the most popular beachwear, people have seen Bikini’s evolution with open eyes. Modern Bikini has been ruling the ladies’ hearts since its first release in the early 1940s. But, the popularisation came into effect a bit later than its first public appearance. Many female celebrities played a big role in making it an impactful trend in the public’s eyes. Their efforts didn’t go in vain as now, we can see the evolving generation and their choices of wearing a Bikini.
Nowadays, not only celebrities but the normal public also flaunts their curves in bikinis with confidence. And the media which used to call it “Improper” are writing about the hot trends in the swimwear industry. But, do you know that it was not like this at all? Well, to quench your thirst for knowledge here is the history of Bikini evolution.
Bikini Evolution: First Glimpse of Modern Bikini
The glamourisation of Bikinis came in the late 2000s but the story began in the early 1940s. A French Engineer and designer Louis Reard took the responsibility of introducing Modern Bikini to the world. He publicly introduced the first Bikini made by him on July 5th, 1946. Louis made a nude dancer Micheline Bernardini to model the first set of his swimwear. He gave the name “Bikini” to his beachwear by getting influenced from Bikini Atoll.
Bikini Evolution and Scandalous Outfit
Right after Louis Reard showcased his Bikini to the world many communities and people couldn’t support it immediately. This group of people included the Catholic Churchs, the Media and of course the common public. But, women were quite excited to wear the modern reset. It became visible when the Bikini round was involved in the first-ever Miss World pageant in 1951, the contestants wore the two-piece swimsuit and showcased their confidence. However, the pageant banned it later. This was not the only time when someone flaunted a stunning bikini set. Two years later, a famous French actress Brigitte Bardot wore the beachwear and got clicked at the time of Cannes Film Festival 1953. Her pictures became eye-candy for the media and the public.
Apart from the French actress, American actresses Rita Hayworth and Ava Gardner also spiked the temperatures when they wore these modern bikinis in the 1950s.
Bikini Evolution: 1960s and a Wave of Change
By the beginning of the 1960s, a wave of change could be felt in the air for the cultural reset in regards to fashion. Well, a famous Swiss actress did something for resetting the big screen culture. It was Ursula Andress, the Bond girl Honey Ryder, she wore the iconic two-piece bikini in the 1962 released first James Bond film, Dr No and stunned the world. Then came Raquel Welch, an American actress whose fur bikini made her ‘One million years B.C.’ look the symbol of the decade.
Big Business in Early 2000s
That 1960s change brought about fresh energy in modern Western society. The female beachwear gained popularity and slowly every other western woman started carrying her unique swimwear look. By the start of the 2000s, the Bikini business had reached an annual income of $811 million, which never looked possible at the start.
Who brought Bikini Evolution to India?
Well, it is quite interesting to know, who brought Bikini culture to India because some parts of Indian society still find it hard to accept the two-piece as a common garment look. To talk about celebrities, famous veteran actress Sharmila Tagore was the actress who wore it first in the 1967 film ‘An Evening in Paris.’ If we look closer, she also brought the evolution in 1960s as the Western world was blooming with the change. But, she also showed concern for the growing Bikini culture when she was the chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification.
After her many Indian actresses tried this outfit including Dimple Kapadia for Bobby in 1973. Not Just her but famous actress Zeenat Aman also stunned the Indian audience with her beach look. She wore the bikini for Heera Panna in 1973. Later, one of the biggest stars of her time Parveen Babi wore a swimsuit for Yeh Nazdeekiyan in 1982.
Nowadays, we can see every other Indian actress wearing the Modern Bikinis. From Alia Bhatt to Katrina Kaif everyone has flaunted their curves confidently in the bikinis. Sometimes, people even get furious for their bikini looks, like Deepika Padukone was surrounded by controversy for her film Jawan’s beach look. Overall, the acceptance rate for Bikinis has improved in India as well and the Western countries have already included it in their culture. The evolution of bikinis has been notable.
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