Swimsuits vary in many ways, including design, comfort and color. Some are designed for utility, such as the wetsuit, which prioritizes warmth. Others, such as the bikini, are designed to make a statement, prioritizing aesthetics over functionality. The swimsuit has evolved over time to become what it is today.
Sea bathing began to rise in popularity in the 1700s. Women typically wore loose bathing gowns, while men either wore boxers or, occasionally, swam in the nude. It was deemed unseemly for women to immerse themselves completely in the water, and in order to prevent the bottoms of their gowns from floating up, they were weighed down at the hemline with lead. As the popularity of swimming grew in the 1800s, women’s swimwear grew even more restrictive, especially in England. The Victorian Era had a strong influence and conservative rules on women’s clothing, especially bathing suits. In order to adhere to the restrictions on what to wear, the typical swimwear for a woman consisted of a lightweight and light-colored dress, drawers and stockings. Together, these clothing items ensured that most skin remained covered. The whole outfit was made of absorbent materials such as wool or cotton, and when they were saturated with water, any sort of physical exertion was very difficult.
Around this same time, due to the recent ban on nude swimming in England, men’s swimwear consisted of boxers. As the 1800s progressed, however, the “prison-striped” mens swimsuit grew in popularity, which covered both the upper and lower body. Also in the mid to late 1800s, the United States, which was less impacted by Victorian values than England was, developed a one-piece swimsuit known as the Princess Suit. This suit consisted of a calf-length skirt attached to a blouse, along with trousers underneath the skirt. Although the Princess Suit was still impractical, as if allowing minimal arm movement and was still made of absorbent materials, it was a small step away from the complex swimming outfits popular in the Victorian era.
In the late 1800s and early 1900s, swimming became more recognized as a sport, and in 1896, men’s swimming was added to the Olympics. Although this new interpretation of swimming required swimsuits to be more hydrodynamic and less absorbent, swimwear remained restricted for both men and women. There still remained concerns about the modesty of women wearing the swimsuit, however, as the fabric behaved in unpredictable ways when wet. By the 1930s, though, most competitors, both women and men, wore one-piece swimsuits that exposed the arms and legs. These one-piece swimsuits remained the norm until 1946.
One of the most ground-breaking developments in swimwear was the invention of the bikini in the 1940s. It was a huge change from the full-coverage standards that had previously been prevalent dominated women’s swimwear.
Another swimsuit known was the athletic swimsuit made by swimwear brand Speedo. Speedo unveiled their first nylon men’s swimming shorts at the 1956 Olympics, and this new material’s elasticity and hydrodynamic properties made it revolutionary. Soon, women’s swimwear utilized the same technology.
By the 1970s, Speedo had found a combination of elastane and nylon that significantly improved swimsuit performance. The 2000s has brought with it more developments in both the leisure and athletic swimsuits. In 2008, Speedo unveiled the world’s fastest swimsuit, the LZR Racer, which led to such high athletic performance that regulations had to be put in place to limit the length of swimsuit. These modern swimsuit regulations starkly contrast the coverage-based regulations of previous centuries. While more swimsuits are being created all the time, one wonders what other expectations around swimsuits are soon to be rewritten.
