1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:01,920 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:11,920 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hello and welcome to This Day in History Class, 3 00:00:11,960 --> 00:00:15,440 Speaker 1: a show that uncovers a little bit more about history 4 00:00:15,800 --> 00:00:20,320 Speaker 1: every day. I'm Gay Bluesier, and today we're looking at 5 00:00:20,320 --> 00:00:23,759 Speaker 1: the story behind one of the most polarizing summer fashions 6 00:00:23,800 --> 00:00:26,799 Speaker 1: of all time. You can love it or loathe it, 7 00:00:27,120 --> 00:00:38,080 Speaker 1: but the one thing you can't do is ignored. The 8 00:00:38,200 --> 00:00:45,879 Speaker 1: day was July five. French designer Louis Rire introduced the 9 00:00:45,880 --> 00:00:50,000 Speaker 1: world to the bikini. The revealing two piece bathing suit 10 00:00:50,159 --> 00:00:53,400 Speaker 1: made its debut at a pool side fashion show at 11 00:00:53,440 --> 00:00:58,240 Speaker 1: the Pissene Molitor Hotel complex in Paris. It was modeled 12 00:00:58,280 --> 00:01:02,520 Speaker 1: by Micheline Bernardini, an exotic dancer at a local casino, 13 00:01:02,760 --> 00:01:05,880 Speaker 1: who had agreed to wear the skimpy outfit after all 14 00:01:05,959 --> 00:01:11,679 Speaker 1: the professional models in town refused the swimsuits. Unveiling was 15 00:01:11,720 --> 00:01:15,280 Speaker 1: considered quite scandalous at the time, which is ironic when 16 00:01:15,319 --> 00:01:18,759 Speaker 1: you consider that women had already worn bikini light garments 17 00:01:18,760 --> 00:01:23,240 Speaker 1: in public nearly two thousand years earlier. Roman mosaics from 18 00:01:23,240 --> 00:01:27,800 Speaker 1: the fourth century depict ancient female athletes wearing two piece outfits. 19 00:01:27,840 --> 00:01:32,600 Speaker 1: This earliest fourteen hundred BC. It's true those garments wouldn't 20 00:01:32,600 --> 00:01:35,400 Speaker 1: have been warned to go swimming, but that's just because 21 00:01:35,440 --> 00:01:39,480 Speaker 1: all Romans, men and women alike always swam in the nude. 22 00:01:40,360 --> 00:01:43,680 Speaker 1: By the turn of the twentieth century, though, many European 23 00:01:43,720 --> 00:01:47,760 Speaker 1: cultures had gotten much more prudish about showing skin in public, 24 00:01:48,240 --> 00:01:52,240 Speaker 1: especially when it came to women. Victorian women, for example, 25 00:01:52,560 --> 00:01:56,720 Speaker 1: wore big, loose fitting bathing costumes that left pretty much 26 00:01:56,760 --> 00:02:00,480 Speaker 1: everything to the imagination. In fact, the culture was so 27 00:02:00,560 --> 00:02:04,440 Speaker 1: obsessed with concealing the female form that it even devised 28 00:02:04,440 --> 00:02:08,160 Speaker 1: a special vehicle to roll women into the water unseen. 29 00:02:09,080 --> 00:02:12,800 Speaker 1: Known simply as a bathing machine, the device was basically 30 00:02:12,800 --> 00:02:15,760 Speaker 1: a wooden cart with a little enclosed hut on top, 31 00:02:16,160 --> 00:02:18,320 Speaker 1: the roof and walls of which were made from either 32 00:02:18,480 --> 00:02:22,440 Speaker 1: solid wood or canvas. A female swimmer would enter the 33 00:02:22,520 --> 00:02:26,200 Speaker 1: machine fully clothed and then change into her bathing costume. 34 00:02:26,280 --> 00:02:30,399 Speaker 1: Once the curtains had been drawn, then the whole apparatus 35 00:02:30,440 --> 00:02:33,200 Speaker 1: would be wheeled into the water by a horse or 36 00:02:33,320 --> 00:02:36,960 Speaker 1: less commonly, by a human. The woman inside would then 37 00:02:36,960 --> 00:02:40,680 Speaker 1: exit the machine on the seaside, walked down a few steps, 38 00:02:40,840 --> 00:02:43,680 Speaker 1: and weide into the water. She was then free to 39 00:02:43,760 --> 00:02:46,800 Speaker 1: enjoy the waves and fresh air, provided, of course, that 40 00:02:46,880 --> 00:02:49,960 Speaker 1: she remained in line with her bathing machine so that 41 00:02:50,040 --> 00:02:53,760 Speaker 1: she couldn't be seen by those on the shore. Thankfully, 42 00:02:53,919 --> 00:02:56,560 Speaker 1: the dress code at the beach loosened a great deal 43 00:02:56,639 --> 00:03:00,160 Speaker 1: in the decades that followed. The baggy one piece suits 44 00:03:00,200 --> 00:03:03,760 Speaker 1: of old gave way to middrift bearing two pieces beginning 45 00:03:03,760 --> 00:03:08,160 Speaker 1: in the early nineteen thirties. Modesty remained a top concern, though, 46 00:03:08,400 --> 00:03:11,320 Speaker 1: with most bathing suits consisting of a halter top and 47 00:03:11,360 --> 00:03:15,880 Speaker 1: a pair of shorts like trunks. That design became slightly 48 00:03:15,919 --> 00:03:19,000 Speaker 1: more revealing during World War Two, when the rationing of 49 00:03:19,080 --> 00:03:22,919 Speaker 1: fabric led to the removal of some excess material, though 50 00:03:22,960 --> 00:03:26,040 Speaker 1: care was still taken to ensure a woman's navel would 51 00:03:26,080 --> 00:03:31,480 Speaker 1: remain staunchly covered. Beyond that, swimsuit design didn't change much 52 00:03:31,560 --> 00:03:34,760 Speaker 1: during the war, especially in Europe, where many beaches and 53 00:03:34,840 --> 00:03:39,000 Speaker 1: coastlines became sites of battle instead of leisure. All of 54 00:03:39,040 --> 00:03:43,080 Speaker 1: that changed, though, in nineteen forty six, when Western Europeans 55 00:03:43,160 --> 00:03:46,440 Speaker 1: hit the beach for their first post war summer. It 56 00:03:46,520 --> 00:03:49,880 Speaker 1: was during this time that two competing male fashion designers 57 00:03:49,960 --> 00:03:53,000 Speaker 1: came up with a barely there swimsuit to reflect their 58 00:03:53,040 --> 00:03:56,960 Speaker 1: relaxed mood in Europe. First on the scene was Jacques 59 00:03:57,000 --> 00:04:00,840 Speaker 1: Haim with his two piece design known as the Atom, 60 00:04:00,880 --> 00:04:04,360 Speaker 1: after the smallest particle of matter. True to its name, 61 00:04:04,560 --> 00:04:09,120 Speaker 1: the Atom was billed as the world's smallest bathing suit. However, 62 00:04:09,480 --> 00:04:12,520 Speaker 1: Heim wasn't able to make that claim for long, as 63 00:04:12,560 --> 00:04:17,039 Speaker 1: his rival Louis Rire was about to debut a significantly 64 00:04:17,200 --> 00:04:21,760 Speaker 1: smaller outfit. His design used just thirty inches of fabric, 65 00:04:22,320 --> 00:04:26,279 Speaker 1: essentially just four small triangles and a couple of strings. 66 00:04:26,680 --> 00:04:29,919 Speaker 1: V Are dubbed his creation the Bikini as a timely 67 00:04:29,960 --> 00:04:33,520 Speaker 1: reference to the Bikini ats Hole the Pacific Island chain, 68 00:04:33,560 --> 00:04:37,120 Speaker 1: where the U. S Military had begun testing nuclear weapons 69 00:04:37,160 --> 00:04:41,240 Speaker 1: just a few days prior to the swimsuits debut. It 70 00:04:41,320 --> 00:04:44,760 Speaker 1: may seem bizarre that both Heim and we Are would 71 00:04:44,839 --> 00:04:48,760 Speaker 1: name their swimsuits after something so devastating, but at the time, 72 00:04:49,000 --> 00:04:52,279 Speaker 1: atomic energy still held a lot of promise for the public. 73 00:04:52,920 --> 00:04:55,680 Speaker 1: It had already found its way into pop culture too. 74 00:04:56,040 --> 00:05:01,000 Speaker 1: Attractive women were commonly described as bombshells, and anything extreme 75 00:05:01,160 --> 00:05:05,279 Speaker 1: or exciting was called atomic. We Are tapped into that 76 00:05:05,400 --> 00:05:09,200 Speaker 1: cultural zeitgeist by creating a swimsuit that he described as 77 00:05:09,320 --> 00:05:14,320 Speaker 1: quote just as explosive as the atomic bomb. We Are 78 00:05:14,600 --> 00:05:17,679 Speaker 1: was preparing to debut the bikini at a popular public 79 00:05:17,720 --> 00:05:21,160 Speaker 1: swimming pool in Paris when he ran into a slight snag. 80 00:05:21,880 --> 00:05:24,600 Speaker 1: None of the local professional models would agree to wear 81 00:05:24,720 --> 00:05:28,640 Speaker 1: such a revealing swimsuit. They worried that appearing nearly nude 82 00:05:28,720 --> 00:05:32,240 Speaker 1: in public would cause a scandal and possibly ruin their careers. 83 00:05:32,800 --> 00:05:37,080 Speaker 1: This led we Are to hire Micheline Bernardini, a dancer 84 00:05:37,160 --> 00:05:40,919 Speaker 1: from the Casino de Paris who didn't share the model's misgivings. 85 00:05:41,800 --> 00:05:45,240 Speaker 1: In a final stroke of self promotion, we Are printed 86 00:05:45,400 --> 00:05:49,240 Speaker 1: newspaper type all over the bikini that Bernardini modeled on 87 00:05:49,320 --> 00:05:52,240 Speaker 1: July five. This was meant as a nod to the 88 00:05:52,320 --> 00:05:55,960 Speaker 1: torrent of headlines that his new swimsuit was sure to inspire. 89 00:05:56,839 --> 00:06:01,120 Speaker 1: Following its debut, the bikini became an international sensation, and 90 00:06:01,240 --> 00:06:05,719 Speaker 1: so did Bernardini. She reportedly received about fifty thousand fan 91 00:06:05,839 --> 00:06:08,880 Speaker 1: letters after the fashion show, most of which were from men. 92 00:06:09,839 --> 00:06:13,520 Speaker 1: Not long after, bikini started popping up all along the 93 00:06:13,560 --> 00:06:17,880 Speaker 1: Mediterranean coast, eventually prompting Spain and Italy to ban the 94 00:06:17,920 --> 00:06:21,839 Speaker 1: skimpy two piece from their beaches. They, of course, relented 95 00:06:21,880 --> 00:06:24,840 Speaker 1: a few years later, once bikinis had become a staple 96 00:06:24,920 --> 00:06:30,080 Speaker 1: of European shores. By the nineteen fifties, other fashion designers 97 00:06:30,080 --> 00:06:32,839 Speaker 1: had rolled out their own versions of the bikini, though 98 00:06:32,920 --> 00:06:37,160 Speaker 1: we Are cautioned the public to accept no imitations. According 99 00:06:37,160 --> 00:06:40,080 Speaker 1: to him, a two piece bathing suit wasn't a true 100 00:06:40,080 --> 00:06:43,440 Speaker 1: bikini unless it was small enough to be pulled through 101 00:06:43,440 --> 00:06:48,040 Speaker 1: a wedding rain skeevie marketing aside, the bikini was a 102 00:06:48,080 --> 00:06:51,520 Speaker 1: massive hit in post war Europe. The same couldn't be 103 00:06:51,560 --> 00:06:54,600 Speaker 1: said for the US, though, where it was initially dismissed 104 00:06:54,600 --> 00:06:59,040 Speaker 1: as a risque a trend. For example, Modern Girl magazine 105 00:06:59,080 --> 00:07:03,240 Speaker 1: claimed that it is hardly necessary to waste words over 106 00:07:03,240 --> 00:07:07,160 Speaker 1: the so called bikini, since it is inconceivable that any 107 00:07:07,240 --> 00:07:10,880 Speaker 1: girl with tact and decency would ever wear such a thing. 108 00:07:12,200 --> 00:07:16,520 Speaker 1: That view persisted until the early nineteen sixties, when Hollywood 109 00:07:16,560 --> 00:07:19,920 Speaker 1: stars in California surfing culture finally put an end to 110 00:07:20,000 --> 00:07:24,520 Speaker 1: the taboo. To mark the occasion, pop singer Brian Highland 111 00:07:24,600 --> 00:07:27,480 Speaker 1: even gave the swimsuit it's a very own theme song. 112 00:07:28,040 --> 00:07:32,840 Speaker 1: Itsy bitsy teeny weeny yellow polka dot pikini. It was 113 00:07:33,400 --> 00:07:41,880 Speaker 1: its pitsy teeny yallow that she wore and its bitsy 114 00:07:42,000 --> 00:07:50,720 Speaker 1: teen yalla. From that point on, the bikini has only 115 00:07:50,800 --> 00:07:54,800 Speaker 1: grown in popularity, though it still has plenty of detractors, 116 00:07:54,800 --> 00:07:57,680 Speaker 1: some of whom think it promotes the objectification of women, 117 00:07:58,040 --> 00:08:00,920 Speaker 1: which is certainly the case in some crowd us. But 118 00:08:01,000 --> 00:08:04,640 Speaker 1: whatever your personal convictions, maybe I think we can all 119 00:08:04,680 --> 00:08:07,640 Speaker 1: agree that showing a lot of skin is still preferable 120 00:08:07,720 --> 00:08:11,720 Speaker 1: to using horse drawn carts. It's wheel fully clothed women 121 00:08:11,760 --> 00:08:14,760 Speaker 1: into the sea, or at least I hope we can 122 00:08:14,800 --> 00:08:17,760 Speaker 1: all agree on that these days, and you can never 123 00:08:17,800 --> 00:08:23,360 Speaker 1: really tell. I'm Gave Lousier and hopefully you now know 124 00:08:23,520 --> 00:08:27,000 Speaker 1: a little more about history today than you did yesterday. 125 00:08:27,800 --> 00:08:29,920 Speaker 1: If you'd like to keep up with the show, consider 126 00:08:30,000 --> 00:08:33,679 Speaker 1: following us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at t D 127 00:08:33,880 --> 00:08:38,319 Speaker 1: I HC Show, and if you have any comments or suggestions, 128 00:08:38,520 --> 00:08:41,160 Speaker 1: feel free to send them my way at this day 129 00:08:41,480 --> 00:08:45,040 Speaker 1: at iHeart media dot com. Thanks to Chandler Mays for 130 00:08:45,120 --> 00:08:48,240 Speaker 1: producing the show, Thank you for listening. I'll see you 131 00:08:48,320 --> 00:09:01,840 Speaker 1: back here again tomorrow for another day in History Class