Raquel Welch,
on the beach during
the filming of the film "Fathom" in 1967.
Photo: Louis Malle
was in full swing. Women were starting to become more independent and less concerned about those who scoffed at the revealing and risqué nature of the swimwear. Most women had multiple Bikini’s in their closets and they were being seen all over the big screen, as well as on the television. A series of Bikini-themed movies emerged starring former Disney Mouseketeer and child actress Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon that cemented the bikini in American culture.
In the 1980’s and 90’s, the Bikini evolved even further into more wild, shocking, and barely-there designs that have changed the way women view their bodies, public nudity, and feeling comfortable in their own skin. Where once there were only a few classic bikini shapes & styles, there are now almost unlimited styles, colors, patterns, and shapes to choose from, including a plethora of barely-there cuts and designs.
So as we sit here in 2018 looking back on the history of one of the most iconic designs to ever be introduced to the fashion world, it would be very interesting to see what Louis Réard thought about the modern versions of his Bikini. He once told reporters that shortly after he introduced the Bikini to the world, he had received over 50,000 fan mail letters, the majority of which were from men thanking him incessantly for his tiny risqué fabric invention. I have a feeling that if Louis Réard was alive today and his fan mail letters were instead replaced with social media likes, he would have more followers than any of the Kardashian’s… the majority of which would still be incredibly appreciative men!