9 Interesting Facts about Swimsuits
Expensive swimsuit
The most expensive swimsuit in the world is a bikini that is worth $30 million dollars. Designed by Susan Rosen and Steinmetz Diamonds, the bikini is made with more than 150 carats of D flawless diamonds which are all set in platinum.
Largest bikini parade
The world’s largest bikini parade took place on November 9, 2009. Clad only in bikinis, 287 girls paraded in Johannesburg, South Africa, to raise awareness for breast cancer, which affects one in every 30 South African women.
Itsy-Bitsy
The 1960 popular song “Itsy-Bitsy Teenie-Weenie Yellow Polka-Dot Bikini” triggered bikini sales in the U.S. This song, coupled with the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition, helped mainstream the bikini in the U.S.
Early 1900s
In the early 1900s, many American cities created laws that required all women in bathing suits to wear stockings.
Topper
One of the first chest-revealing suits for men appeared in 1932 and was called the “Topper.” The suit had a detachable top that could be zipped away from the trunk bottoms. Unfortunately, men who chose to appear topless at the time were often arrested for indecent exposure.
Bikini Atoll
The bikini is named after the islands in the Bikini Atoll in the North Pacific’s Marshall Islands where the U.S. tested the atomic bomb in 1946. Both the tiny swimsuit and the bomb had an explosive influence American culture.
Primitive clothing
While the Brazilians helped popularize the thong and its derivatives in the 1970s, the thong may have actually originated 75,000 years ago as primitive clothing to protect male genitals.
Indecent exposure
In 1907, when Australian swimmer Annette Kellerman (1887-1975) wore a one-piece suit in Boston that revealed her arms and legs, she was promptly arrested for indecent exposure.
Illegal thongs
Thongs are illegal in Melbourne, Florida as of January 2005. The punishment is a $500 fine or 60 days in jail.