Fashion
The Most Important Swimwear Moments of 2014 — From Month to Month
When Louis Reard unveiled the bikini in 1946, he imagined the cultural impact would be similar to that of a nuclear bomb. In fact, that’s where he got the name for his invention, so called because of nuclear testing happening at Bikini Atoll in the central Pacific. His expectation wasn’t unfounded, considering it wasn’t that long ago that bathing suit police enforced laws regarding modesty of dress on the beach.
Although we may be a bit more desensitized to nudity today, we’re just as enamored with the bikini and, even more so, the bikini body. It’s why every time Serena Williams, Jessica Biel, or Kim Kardashian have appeared in an itty-bitty, teeny-weeny iteration this year, we’ve read about it.
Of course, we’re so bombarded with these stories — which generally focus on who’s gained a few pounds and who’s lost a few pounds — the coolest, strangest, most amusing, most infuriating, and most significant swimwear-related stories sometimes pass us right by.
To that end, here’s a look back at the year’s biggest bathing suit moments — minus any generic celeb-hitting-the-beach photos — no SPF required.
Image: Instagram/tessholliday
January
With the new year comes silly new standards of beauty, this time thanks to a devilish 4chan user who popularizes the phrase “bikini bridge,” the space that appears between a skinny girl’s bathing suit bottoms and her concave stomach when lying flat on her back. Cue gross barrage of “thinspiring” bridge memes — and commence collective eye rolling.
Meanwhile, The New York Times reports on the fall of the Brazilian bikini wax — au natural enthusiasts, rejoice! And Surfer magazine tackles the brand that is professional wave rider Alana Blanchard, just as famous for her bikini body (and the controversial way she capitalizes on it) as she is for her skill in the water. “For her part, Blanchard has no problem being marketed as a sex symbol, so long as it doesn’t take away from her surfing,” says writer Brad Melakian.
February
Barbie graces the cover of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition, and gets a four-page spread inside. Some, including Barbie herself, celebrate the decision as an empowering one. Others decry it as the ultimate objectification.
March
Mega-corporation Target comes under fire — and later apologizes — for poorly Photoshopping a thigh gap onto an image of one of its (junior) swimwear models. For many, this marks the last straw in what’s been called thigh-gap hysteria (read: last year’s publication of literature like this). Next month, after Beyonce is accused of giving her own bikini pic a similar makeover, New York Mag will label the trend one of 16 gaps currently facing women, including gender-wage gap and retirement-reality gap.
April
The burqini, a full-body swimsuit for Muslim women, is given attention via The Economist’s piece on “hijab couture.”
May
A Kickstarter campaign to raise $15,000 is launched by Lensa Kitilla of Kenna Swims, with the goal of producing a full-coverage line of elegant bathing suits for “bacne” sufferers. Meanwhile, a pair of Finnish artists launch the “monokini,” a bathing suit meant for women who’ve lost a breast to cancer. And women looking for a reprieve from their own dreaded swimwear shopping delight in this compilation of strange suits — long sleeves? Denim? Suede?!
June
The vintage bikini trend — with devotees like Taylor Swift and Katy Perry — gains traction, harkening back to a time when the bikini was just as much about post-war liberation as it was about sexuality.
July
We’re in the midst of a “one-piece moment” reports CNN. Case in point: The swimsuit industry’s biggest event of the year, Mercedes Benz Swim Week in Miami, during which time the runways are full of, well, full-coverage.
Meanwhile, a North Carolina woman is banned from Facebook for posting a photo of her bikini-clad toddler that was taken in imitation of the Coppertone baby. While aghast critics claim the picture violates the site’s child pornography laws — and basic human decency — this is the not the first time the bare bottom-logo has served as artistic muse. See: this picture of Jim Carrey on the cover of Rolling Stone from 1995, this picture of Carmen Electra on the cover of Esquire from 2004, and this picture of Kylie Monogue on the cover of GQ Italy, on stands now.
Also this month, The Hollywood Reporter publishes a list of Hollywood’s 27 best swimsuit moments, including Deborah Kerr in the sexiest sand romp from here to eternity (womp, womp); Demi Moore as a surfing angel; and Borat.
August
Plus-size model Tess Munster posts “fatkini selfies” to social media, as an affront to socially-constructed ideas about beauty norms.
In other body-positive news, Australian model Meaghan Kausman lashes out at the Fella Swim brand for photoshopping her underwater image without permission. “I refuse to stand by and allow any company or person to perpetuate the belief that ‘thinner is better,’” she writes on Instagram, alongside the original image. Meanwhile, homage is paid to the original surfer girl Gidget, who proved that gender-role rules can be broken even while wearing the frilliest of bikinis.
September
This beach-camoflauge bathing suit is a thing. And this furry bathing suit is a thing, too, because — well — Miley Cyrus.
October
It’s the 35th anniversary of the release of movie 10, which stars Bo Derek just as much as the iconic nude one-piece she wears. Also this month, news breaks that former Baywatch star Nicole Eggert has traded her red bathing suit for a uniform — jean shorts and a blouse — more suited to her new venture: driving an ice cream truck.
November
Heidi Klum wears a teeny-weeny bikini while vacationing in Jamaica, igniting a firestorm of social media criticism. “I legit lost my lunch,” writes one particularly dramatic Twitter user after seeing the photos. Never mind her kickass bod, cry the naysayers, middle-aged moms should stick to the one-piece. And for that matter, stay off the beach! And don’t even leave the house! And hang your heads in shame! Or something to that effect.
December
In an attempt to live up to its slogan — beauty with a purpose — the Miss World competition announces, after 63 years, an end to the pageant’s controversial swimsuit portion. Explains National Director Chris Wilmer: The focus should be less on physicality, and “more about the outreach a woman could do with a title like Miss World.” In other words, three cheers for charity work, and for not reducing a person to the sum of her appearance! Its sounds great… except for one, ahem, itsy-bitsy thing. The competition will now include a “beachwear round” which, some argue, undermines the whole point of eliminating swimsuits in the first place. Perhaps a pageant hopeful will utilize her talent portion to explain how a sarong contest furthers the feminist cause.
In other news, Victoria’s Secret announces that its 2015 swimsuit show will be filmed in Puerto Rico, which will drop approximately $2 million into the local economy.
