One tiny garment. That’s all it took to spark outrage, bans, and even arrests across the globe.
In the decades-long tug-of-war between modesty and freedom, the bikini emerged as both villain and victor. Popes called it sinful. Governments outlawed it.
But women kept wearing it — and with every bold appearance, they rewrote the rules.
Tailors on the beaches
At the dawn of the 20th century, swimsuits were far from the sleek, stylish designs we know today. Back then, they were bulky, full-body garments made from wool, designed to keep swimmers covered and protected from the sun. This wasn’t about fashion — it was about modesty.
Strict dress codes were common at beaches across the U.S. According to Kathleen Morgan Drowne and Patrick Huber in their book on 1920s pop culture, places like Chicago’s Clarendon Beach even hired tailors to make on-the-spot adjustments to swimsuits deemed too revealing.
Similar rules popped up nationwide — Coney Island, for example, banned bathing socks in 1915 if they exposed “dimpled knees.” In Washington, DC, beach police were known to enforce these codes with tape measures in hand.
