Bikini: Two pieces of freedom.

When March 21st arrives, everything changes. The cold of winter is but a distant memory, and one's mind thinks of only one thing: the long-awaited and desired summer holidays.

Summer holidays all have one thing in common: escape. The period from June to September is pervaded by a suffocating heat. These are three months of pure physical suffering, where one would like to strip off even their skin just to have a modicum of relief. Not to mention one's mental health: after a year of stress, sacrifices, and problems of every kind, one waits anxiously for July or August to tell everyone to go to hell and enjoy that blessed freedom, even if brief.

But where is this period of freedom spent? Some visit cities, others spend it in nature (forests or mountains), while the vast majority spends it at the sea or the lake.

If you spend your summer freedom in the mountains or the city, there is no problem: you dress comfortably to survive long walks, queues, and the heat. But what if you go to the sea or the lake? Here, the imperative is to dress as little as possible—both because you get wet, because of the heat, and because you want to obtain that beautiful skin color that defines summer.

For a man, it’s all very simple: at the beach, we just put on a pair of trunks and we’re happy. No worries of any kind. And for the woman? Well, for the woman, too, it is apparently all very simple: just wear what has been and always will be the symbol of a gender struggle: the bikini.

But is it really that simple? Is it truly easy for a woman to wear a bikini? Let’s dive into this post for a moment and enjoy the result.

What is the bikini?

But what is a bikini, technically? Before analyzing its myth, let’s start with its essence.

The bikini is a female swimsuit composed of two separate pieces: one covering the breasts and the other covering the "treasure most coveted by a man," leaving exposed areas that men quite like to admire: arms, abdomen, legs, feet, shoulders, back, and a large part of the buttocks.

Practically, the bikini exposes as much as possible while covering as little as possible. It is that very thin line that separates a woman from being free to move and expose herself to being reported for indecent exposure in a public place.

The top part can take various forms, such as the classic triangle, bandeau, underwired, or balcony. It can be supported by ties that go behind the neck or it can stand on its own, always hoping that piece of fabric does its job. Although, purely as a male opinion, no man would ever report a woman if that bikini didn't hold up. We would probably enjoy the show with 3D glasses and popcorn included.

The bottom part, the one covering "the gateway to heaven," can vary greatly in cut, appearing as high-waisted, low-waisted, Brazilian, thong, or culottes.

In any case, the imperative is only one: cover as little as possible. By now, we have arrived at bikinis that don't cover at all. Or rather, they cover only the bare essentials and the nipples, leaving on full display everything a woman has physically to show. As a man, I’m not complaining, but it’s interesting to see how since the 20th century we have moved from "cover everything" to the "the more you show, the better!" mentality of today. And it’s even more fascinating to note that society accepts a woman wearing a bikini on the beach, exposing her entire body, but if the same woman goes out in her underwear in the city, she gets arrested.

The bikini, throughout its history, has seen evolutions and changes of every kind. Today, several variations on the theme have taken hold over the years.

We have the "Monokini." The word itself says "mono," meaning one single piece. In fact, the bottom part remained (decorum had to be maintained somehow) and the top part was removed. It was practically the precursor to the topless look we loved so much. Unfortunately, those days are over. In the modern conception, that word indicates a one-piece swimsuit with large side cut-outs. Too bad, I liked the first version better!

Then we have the "Tankini," composed of a tank top and a bottom. Honestly, I’ve never seen this version; however, it is widely used by those who want the convenience of a two-piece without showing the abdomen (often used in public pools or by new mothers). Finally, we have the "Burkini," a version that covers the whole body, designed to respect certain religious precepts (Islam) without giving up swimming.

Little historical anecdotes.

The history of the bikini, even if it is said to start in the 1950s due to the planetary success of the idea, was not an original one. It is a concept much older than one might imagine. The beaches of the French Riviera were just a revival. Its true debut has roots in antiquity, only to disappear and return as a symbol of social revolution. It is as if the bikini has been playing hide-and-seek with humanity for centuries.

But how old is the bikini? Well, let’s go back a few millennia, specifically to the ancient Romans.

The Roman "Bikini"

The Romans perpetrated death and violence across Europe for centuries. There is no doubt about that. But they brought so much modernity and concepts that would be recovered centuries later and in today's daily life (like aqueducts). Honestly, the more I write this blog, the more I wonder if the Romans weren't helped by someone from outside the planet. Because all the innovations they brought are inexplicable.

Even in fashion, the Romans were able to anticipate the future by a couple of millennia.

There are incredible visual testimonies, such as the mosaic of the "Villa Romana del Casale" in Piazza Armerina (Sicily), dating back to the 4th century AD, which portrays several young women (dubbed "bikini girls") while practicing sports wearing a two-piece set called subligaculum (bottoms) and strophium (breast band).

Although at the time it was a simple garment for gymnastics, like those seen in women's athletics, rather than a garment for bathing, it must be said that the concept is there: two pieces that cover a woman's private parts while leaving the body exposed, giving the woman freedom of movement.

Nothingness for a couple of millennia.

The liberalism of the Roman Empire, unfortunately, did not last forever. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire (in 476 AD), the invasion of barbarian populations, and the beginning of the Middle Ages, we had an enormous step backward in customs and habits, especially concerning female garments. A step backward never seen before. The society that took control of the continent created a restrictive ethical and moral code just to maintain that decorum that men (and women too) imposed on the female part of society.

In fact, from the Middle Ages until after the Second World War (about 1,500 years), it was strictly forbidden for a woman to show her body publicly. We have evidence of women on the streets who had only their faces uncovered, while the rest of the body was covered by various types of clothing.

Public morality, which imposed modesty and good manners on women, forced the poor souls to live for a millennium and a half without being able to freely decide whether to show their body publicly and in what form.

The examples from the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century are incredible, where even showing an ankle was considered highly immoral and contrary to modesty. I’m not joking; there were families that cut off all ties with their daughter just for half an exposed ankle. A woman, whether it was cold or hot, had to keep her body a secret from the world, revealing it only to her future husband (who often sought elsewhere, perhaps in brothels, that freedom he denied his wife). No kind of physical or moral well-being was permitted.

The problem with this repression is that the more you compress, the more uncontrolled the explosion will be. The first signals arrived in the early 1900s. The unconscious architect of this spark was Annette Kellerman, a famous Australian professional swimmer of the time. In 1907, Annette appeared on a beach in Boston wearing a swimsuit that was considered scandalous for the time: a one-piece, tight-fitting suit that left the arms and legs (above the knee) exposed. It was practically today’s one-piece swimsuit, except that back then it "showed too much"; now we consider it "full coverage."

Needless to say, she was arrested. The tragicomic thing is that Annette wasn't looking for scandal; she was looking for practicality. At the moment of her arrest, she defended herself by explaining that swimming in standard suits was a suicidal endeavor: they were practically heavy clothes that, once wet, dragged the wearer down, risking drowning the swimmer.

Her arrest in Boston in 1907 demonstrated the absurdity of a society that preferred to see a woman risk her life rather than show her legs. Don't worry, four decades later and that mentality would vanish.

1946: The explosion (literal).

After centuries of modest and heavy swimsuits, and with the start of feminist movements for freedom and equality (like the suffragettes), the male world was observing how keeping the chains too tight was never a winning strategy, suffering that revolt from the female gender who loudly demanded a significant improvement in their lives. They were tired of living in cages while men had none. While the suffragettes had paved the way and the hardest social victories (like divorce and abortion) would arrive decades later, in that 1946, the revolution passed through the swimsuit.

The date is famous: July 5, 1946. On that day, French tailor Louis Réard presented a swimsuit in Paris composed of just 194 square centimeters of fabric: what we today call the bikini and what humanity adores.

That six-letter name, which represents perhaps the most beautiful female garment there is—purely male opinion—has nothing to do with the shape of the garment. It derives from the Bikini Atoll in the Pacific. What does a nuclear test site have in common with a couple of pieces of cloth? The designer chose this name because he was convinced that the launch of such a reduced swimsuit would have an "explosive" media effect, similar to the nuclear tests the United States was conducting in that location during those very days. Yes, it did!

The bikini created problems for the designer even before he presented it. The swimsuit was so bold that no professional model agreed to wear it. Not because women were against the bikini, but wearing it, even just to promote it, would have meant the end of a career, because that woman would have been the face of the "demon tempting female minds." What can I say? In the 1950s we had cars and could fly, but in terms of morality, we could compete with the Middle Ages or the Renaissance.

Réard, however, did not want to give up, convinced of his idea. I am sure he thought, "if a mainstream model won't wear it, then I have to ask someone who isn't afraid to show her body in public." The genius hired Micheline Bernardini, a stripper from the Casino de Paris, for the official presentation at the Molitor pool. In short, a woman who shows herself naked to men would have no problem showing herself clothed.

The moment of the presentation was a scandal like few others at the time. Society saw that obscenity as something highly immoral and even illegal.

After the presentation, throughout the 1950s, the bikini was banned in many countries (Italy and Spain included) and condemned by the Vatican.

If I had been Réard, seeing that the whole world was against me, I would have thought "it's over!" In truth, the engine was just starting.

While male morality and ultra-conservative female morality were scandalized by so much "exposed carnal temptation," risking killing the idea at birth, support came from the industry you wouldn't expect: the European film industry, a pioneer in terms of costume, while Hollywood was trapped in the grip of censorship.

The spark was struck in 1952, in the film And God Created Woman, where Brigitte Bardot (the European cinema superstar par excellence) wore the bikini. In that period, anything Bardot did was almost law. So if she wore a bikini, then it was something cool. That film and that choice made the bikini a symbol of freedom and European charm. While in Europe the bikini was cleared as early as the 50s, overseas it took a few more years to digest the scandal.

From the 60s to today.

With the sexual revolution of the 1960s, the bikini lost its "scandalous" charge to become a common item of clothing. The 60s were perhaps the perfect decade for the bikini, considering that, on the male side, a group of four young men from Liverpool were about to change not only music but also style forever, clearing long hair and youth rebellion: The Beatles.

The definitive blow to the morality surrounding the bikini happened in 1962 with Ursula Andress, thanks to her memorable and legendary exit from the water in a white bikini with a belt in the James Bond film Dr. No. We all remember that scene. It was an incredible moment because Hollywood also showed a woman in a bikini, decreeing a strong loosening of censorship.

From that decade onwards, the bikini effectively became the swimsuit par excellence for the female gender, synonymous with sensuality and freedom.

In the 70s, the bikini stopped being "just" a swimsuit to become a battlefield for individual freedom and creativity. We are in the era of Hippies, psychedelic prints, crochet embroidery, and civil rights struggles. But the real revolution came from South America. It is precisely in this period that the thong arrived from Brazil: the bottom piece was drastically reduced, practically disappearing, introducing a cut that leaves the buttocks almost completely exposed. Now it was no longer just about showing skin or not, but about celebrating a more explicit and uninhibited sensuality (we are in the period of the birth of pornography). The bikini became smaller, thinner, and incredibly bolder, perfectly reflecting the spirit of rebellion and the search for naturalness typical of those years.

In the 80s, the bikini underwent a geometric and athletic transformation, influenced by the explosion of fitness and aerobics culture, where all women had to be in shape. We are in a period, as also in the 90s, where magazines like Playboy reigned supreme in the male world, where bikinis and statuesque female bodies were the most beautiful thing in the world.

Furthermore, it is the decade of excess in fashion: colors became neon and fluo, and fabrics became shiny.

The bikini was affected, and a lot: the cut became extremely high-legged, where the lower part of the bikini rose dizzyingly along the hips, as if to lengthen the legs to infinity and emphasize muscle tone, a look made immortal by the iconic lifeguards of Baywatch (even if they often wore one-piece suits, the "high-cut" style influenced the entire industry). The top piece saw the triumph of balconies and padding, reflecting that aesthetic of "power" and accentuated forms typical of the fashion of the time. The bikini was no longer just a garment for relaxation, but a dynamic, sporty, and decidedly flashy accessory.

In the 90s, the bikini experienced a phase of return to minimalism and practicality, moving away from the fluo excesses of the previous decade. It was the era of "less is more," influenced by the grunge style and a cleaner, sportier aesthetic. Cuts became more linear and neutral colors, black, and less flashy patterns came back into fashion.

It is also the decade in which the bikini became a true object of global cult status thanks to pop culture and supermodels. Brands like Calvin Klein imposed an essential look, while magazines and fashion shows transformed the two-piece into a symbol of physical perfection and status. The bottom part remained moderately high-legged, but the waistline dropped, while the top part saw the great return of the classic triangle, often with very thin ties. On the beach, people no longer sought to amaze with neon colors, but to impress with the simplicity of a perfect cut that enhanced natural shapes (or surgically aided ones, given the boom of the period).

With the advent of the pop culture of the early 2000s (the era of Britney Spears and Paris Hilton), the keyword was low-waist. Bottoms became tiny, often decorated with metal rings, sequins, or beads. It was during this period that the "mix & match" habit was born: women began to buy separate pieces, mixing different colors and patterns between top and bottom. The bikini became a game, less serious and much more colorful.

With the explosion of social media, the aesthetics of the bikini changed radically. On one hand, "high-waisted" models from the 50s and 80s came back into fashion, loved for their ability to shape the figure with a retro and elegant touch. On the other hand, thanks to the influence of influencers, the micro-bikini trend exploded along with the return of the Brazilian and the thong, taking the concept of "covering the least possible" to the extreme.

Why was the bikini successful?

When the bikini was introduced in 1946, it created something that the human race, especially the female one, lacked: freedom. A woman could vote, but that was where it ended. A woman did not work (even if she could) due to social pressures from every direction, and she had to respect very restrictive labels of behavior in public (and even in private).

With the bikini, for the first time, a man effectively gave a woman the possibility to choose. Until then, women wore covering, bulky, and annoying cotton swimsuits, especially when wet. Unfortunately, that was the fashion that men proposed and women accepted.

With the bikini, a woman could be comfortable at the beach or pool without the fear of having a couple of tons of wet cotton swimsuit. There was no obligation. Simply, a woman had and still has the choice: if she wanted decorum, the traditional swimsuit was the option; otherwise, she wore the bikini.

The bikini was also the manifestation of a female universe in ferment. There were struggles for civil rights, moral rights, and control over one's own body. A garment that revealed so much of the female body was the perfect manifesto: in a society where a woman had to hide, the bikini was exactly the opposite.

The dark side.

The bikini is freedom and choice. It is a wonderful concept, but at what price?

Let me explain. The bikini gave women freedom of movement and to do with their bodies what they wanted. However, we still live in a society with a "patriarchal" mentality, both on the male and female sides. When talking about female clothing, there are physical beauty standards that are followed. It is general knowledge that certain clothes can only be worn by certain people, due to height, weight, or the shape of the physique in general.

This limitation also hits the bikini. Unfortunately, in war, no prisoners are taken. When the bikini was invented in 1946, they didn't take into account what a woman must do to manage the bikini.

The first big problem is weight. Ugly to say and to read, but a woman weighing one hundred and twenty kilos and one weighing 50 look very different when wearing a bikini. Society, unfortunately, applies different weights and measures: what appears harmonious on an athletic physique often triggers the pitiless judgment of others—both men and women—and of themselves.

With this idea in the brain, every woman, as early as January, after the festivities' revelry and the ten kilos gained in two weeks, rushes to the gym, sweats, and fasts, just to reach one goal: the swimsuit test. Those bikinis bought the year before must still fit well. It’s not a matter of saving money. It is just the demonstration of still having the body to wear them and not having changed at all from one year to the next. It’s no coincidence that right after New Year's Eve, people pop up with miraculous diets, revolutionary fitness courses, and that the mad dash to lose the last kilo grows. That bikini must still be wearable, whatever the cost.

The other problem that in 1946 was forgotten to take into consideration is bodyhair. Society is very clear on this (whether one is male or female): if a woman shows skin, that skin must be smooth and without imperfections. If it weren't so, cosmetics and beauty centers wouldn't exist, yet they sprout like mushrooms.

It is imperative to get rid of those hairs. As long as you are in the September/March period, you are safe: it’s cold and you cover up. The only people who will see those hairs are the woman herself and her partner. From March to September, things get complicated. Heavy clothes stay in the closet; the ones you wear become transparent and short. The skin being exposed becomes more and more, and there is no way to hide the hair.

Spring and summer are the perfect paradox: the best time to enjoy freedom and the worst for the aesthetic slavery they impose. Between the pain of waxing, the costs of lasers, and the last-minute diet, the struggle to appear smooth and in shape is a mandatory toll to attract looks of approval rather than judgment. Either you eliminate the "stowaway on board," or that centimeter of fabric will make you have a terrible day.

Small reflections.

If I were a woman, would I love or hate the bikini? Probably both.

I would love it because it is the symbol of a freedom conquered through scandals; a little piece of fabric that disintegrated centuries of taboos, allowing women to reclaim their bodies and the sun. I would hate it because, let’s face it, it is a merciless judge: it hides nothing, from winter's gluttonous sins to that "clandestine hair" that pops up when you least expect it.

The bikini is not just a garment; it is an explosion that continues today. It is that thin line between being observed and being free. We men will continue to admire it for its aesthetics, but we should do so with a pinch more respect, aware that behind those few centimeters of fabric lies a millennial history of revolution.

Blessing or curse? Perhaps the secret is to choose neither, but simply to wear that freedom, with or without a few extra calories. After all, as history teaches us, the important thing is not how much the swimsuit covers, but the audacity of the one who wears it.

M.