The women who dared to bare – Bikini’s rise to power

So, swimwear began to shift, becoming more practical and form-fitting. The ”skirts be hanged girls” symbolized a nationwide shift that was about more than just fashion — it was about functionality and freedom of movement.

While it was still modest by today’s standards, women were slowly showing more skin, with swimsuits that were designed for freedom of movement. But the true revolution was yet to come.

The bikini: A scandalous step forward

Then came 1946, and with it, the birth of the bikini. Invented by French engineer Louis Réard, this two-piece swimsuit exposed the navel and flaunted more skin than anyone thought was appropriate for public spaces.

Just days before the bikini was introduced in 1946, the U.S. conducted its first peacetime nuclear test at Bikini Atoll, drawing global attention.

Although designer Louis Réard never explained why he named the swimsuit “bikini,” many believe it was a nod to the explosive impact he hoped it would have — both commercially and culturally — much like the bomb itself. Others suggest the name evoked the exotic appeal of the Pacific or compared the shock of a revealing swimsuit to the power of an atomic blast.

The reaction in the U.S. was swift: many beaches banned the bikini, and it was seen as downright rebellious. And things weren’t much easier in Europe. In 1949, France prohibited bikinis on its beaches, and in Germany, they were banned from public pools until the 1970s. At the same time, certain communist groups slammed the bikini as a sign of capitalist decadence and moral corruption.

Pope Pius XII declared the bikini sinful, and several countries — among them Belgium, Italy, Portugal, and Spain – enforced nationwide bans on the swimsuit.

In a well-known 1952 incident, Australian model Ann Ferguson was asked to leave the beach at Surfers Paradise because her Paula Stafford bikini was considered too revealing.

Truth about the famous photo

One photo has come to symbolize the entire debate over whether bikinis belonged on public beaches — or not. And it comes from Italy.

The black-and-white image, which has gone viral in recent years, shows a man in a white uniform standing beside a young woman in a bikini on a beach. Social media users often claim the moment was captured in Rimini, Italy, in 1957. The most shared version of the story says the man is a police officer writing the woman a ticket for nothing more than wearing a bikini.