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The Bikini: Explosive Beachwear!
With their popularity today, it's hard to believe bikinis actually struggled to leave the drawing board.
In 1946, Frenchman Louis Reard created a two-piece garment “smaller than the world's smallest
bathing suit.” To imply his design would be an explosive hit, Reard named it “bikini,” after the
Bikini Atoll, where nuclear bombs were tested.
However, no models dared to wear the design until Micheline Bernardini, a stripper, agreed. Bernardini
flaunted Reard's revealing design for the press, and provocative photos made international waves; people
were scandalized. Bikinis were banned in many countries and even declared “sinful” by the Vatican.
Then, in 1953, the French actress Brigitte Bardot appeared in a bikini, boosting the garment's popularity.
A wave of bikini-clad celebrities ensued. An iconic bikini moment arrived in the 1962 James Bond film
“Dr. No” when Ursula Andress stunningly emerges from the Caribbean surf in a wet bikini. Bikinis
soon became associated with the liberation of women; by the late 1960s, one would almost be
considered square not to slip one on, echoing changes in society.
Today, infinite varieties of this tiny bathing suit support an US$811 million annual business. Sunscreens and even waxing styles have evolved in sync with the bikini's development. Despite its controversial origins, petite and proud, the bikini is here to stay.
熱辣八月天
從今天比基尼受歡迎的程度來看，很難相信比基尼的誕生其實得來不易。
一九四六年時，法國人路易•雷阿爾德創造出一套比「全球最小件泳衣還小巧的」兩截式服裝。為暗示其設計將引爆潮流，黑阿赫以試爆核彈的比基尼環礁來命名，把它稱為「比基尼」。
然而，在脫衣舞孃米謝琳娜•貝納迪尼同意穿上這款設計以前，模特兒們都望之卻步。貝納迪尼為媒體展示雷阿爾德這套過於裸露的設計，撩人的照片在全球掀起宣然大波；人們感到震驚不已。比基尼因此在許多國家遭禁，甚至連梵蒂岡都宣稱這是個「不道德」的設計。
到了一九五三年，法國女伶碧姬•芭杜著比基尼亮相，提升了比基尼的受歡迎度。名人一窩蜂地穿上比基尼。一個具代表性的比基尼時刻在一九六二年的詹姆斯•龐德電影《第七號情報員》中登場，龐德女郎烏蘇拉•安德司穿著濕淋淋的比基尼從加勒比海的浪花中驚艷現身。比基尼很快地就和女性解放聯想在一起；到了一九六○年代晚期，不穿比基尼幾乎會被視為古板守舊，這也反映了社會的變遷。
今日，這個樣式千變萬化的小巧泳衣，每年帶來的商機高達 8.11 億美元。防曬產品，甚至是脫毛樣式也與比基尼的發展與時並進。儘管起源備受爭議，小小的比基尼有著傲人的成就，現已廣為大眾所接受。
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