Clothing continues to evolve with our lifestyle - influenced by climate, mobility, price and of course fashion trends. One item of clothing that has made great transformation, but often not appreciated is beachwear or more specifically swimwear. Whilst most Asian countries have become more relaxed with their swimwear, many in Sri Lanka remain (maybe pretend) modest with a layer of religious garnish. Of course we cherish and sustain our heritage and religious roots. If we take a mild detour the clothing of royalty and pheasants in ancient Ceylon was quite revealing (ancient women were bare breasted in villages), as old portraits and the opulent frescoes painted on the magnificent rock of Sigiriya will prove. That is another day’s deliberation.
In the early days people swam nude in rivers and lakes, there was no picnic and none to take photos. In the Middle Ages however there was a religious resurgence at some level and people were not that keen to bathe in their birthday suits. Swimsuits came about in the 1800s, but history reveals that in ancient Anatolia, Rome the women wore a two piece form of clothing at the bath (5600BC). By the way they were the souls who frequented SPAs - the word meaning ‘soul per aqua’ - realizing the healing value of water. In 1860 the UK introduced a ban on nude bathing - for both men and women.
So by 1867 a cumbersome and rather heavy bathing suit was designed out of yellow canvas, wow can you fancy wearing that? Early beach suits were heavy and did not allow you to swim. Women had to be fully covered. In 1907 swimmer and water ballerina Annette Kellerman of Australia visited America. She performed at many shows before being arrested in Boston by police for indecent exposure - though her swimsuit was decent. It was alleged that her style revealed her arms and legs. By 1915 the Jantzen Knitting Mills began making better fitting swimwear for women and they registered the term ‘swimsuit’. In 1916 swimsuit day was held in Madison Garden, New York and it was from this pageant that the idea of Miss World contests evolved later. Even at that time, there were swimsuit policemen - can you believe that. These fashion cops actually went to the beach and measured the hemlines of women bathers and were empowered to give out fines.
1946 was a year that would impact beach fashion in a massive way. A designer called Louis Reard, designed and launched the first two piece swimwear: the world first bikini on 5 July. Strangely the creative designer had selected the name bikini, from the island of Bikini Atoll where they were testing the dangerous atom bomb. Perhaps it is with this backdrop that people still refer to a pretty woman as a ‘bombshell’. Louis hired a model named Micheline Bernardini to display his controversial creation, which caught on like wild fire.
Soon Hollywood legends like Ava Gardener, Marilyn Monroe and Liz Taylor began to pose in the two piece and added to its fame. By 1967 the designers went further to accentuate the female figure by inventing the trikini and today we see the monokini. Women like supermodel Elle Macpherson were propelled to success and stardom by modeling sports related swimwear. The TV series Baywatch further elevated the swimsuits with sexy stars Carmen Electra and Pamela Anderson - much to the dismay of many Sri Lankan parents! Whilst much has been said about women’s beachwear, men’s fashions have changed. From those close fitting swimming trunks, to modern Hawaiian floral printed shorts.
Today swim wear is made with Lycra and polyester making the material resistant to chlorine.
We live in a democracy, so people have a right to wear what they like to the beach or mall. The question is how much do you reveal? What is the social stigma of wearing a bikini at Mt.Lavinia beach? Can a foreign girl wear it and be cool while a local girl would be judged as being a carnal beast? I have been shown (for the purpose of this narrative only) decent local graduate students posing in bikinis at foreign university BBQs as they gel with white friends. Do they have the same freedom in sunny paradise? Sure we have ancient cultures and traditions. Top female athletes are wearing two piece clothing at the Olympics and even a few local women have taken to it, no offence - the idea implied is that this clothing increases speed. With a consistent increase in tourist arrivals and a super cool Port City on the way how mature are we as an Asian nation to accept such fashion? How much can one reveal at the beach or resort pool and how do we respond to it? Does clothing define your character?
