by Lily S

Created on: July 24, 2010

From the dark ages to the 18th century, people didn't bother to have baths, let alone (shock horror) immerse their entire bodies in the sea. All this changed around 1720 with the advent of the first ever seaside resort in Scarborough. A revolution had taken place in the thinking of the medical profession. Studies had been released showing that the fresh sea air and sea bathing were good for the health, and as people found they enjoyed being by the sea, during the 18th and 19th centuries, seaside resorts sprang up all over Britain, Europe and the eastern seaboard of the United States.

Of course if you were going to bathe in the sea, you needed a suitable bathing suit, as dipping in the nude was considered too risque. The first women's bathing suits were if anything, more modest than their actual street clothes, because they were made with heavier material designed not to become transparent in water. So the fine muslins so prevalent in Regency gowns were ditched in favour of thick flannels when sea bathing. By the 19th century, in a bid to give women more freedom of movement in the water, "bloomers" (a loose pantaloon trouser) were worn under a long shirt.  Men's bathing suits were similarly modest - they wore the equivalent of a long-sleeved vest with long-johns.  

Men and women also bathed in the sea separately. In the women's area, you would get into a bathing hut, which would be dragged into the sea. There, away from prying eyes on the beach, you would emerge in your bathing suit and get into the sea. Afterwards you would go back in to your hut, change back into your street clothes and the hut would be dragged back to the beach, where you would emerge fully clothed.

The social revolution of the 1920's changed everything. Women wore sleeveless dresses with short skirts, so their limbs were on display on the street. Naturally, when they went bathing, even more clothes came off. Bathing suits became sleeveless and the legs from the thigh down were exposed. 

There was another revolution during World War 2. New fabrics made from petrochemicals appeared, such as nylon, polyester, and elasticated fabrics with latex which clung to the form. War rationing meant that cloth wasn't going to be wasted on bathing suits, so the size of bathing suits shrunk. The French took this to it's logical conclusion and invented the bikini in 1946.

From the late 1940's to the 1980's swim suits for both men and women became progressively more brief and clinging. Since then a more relaxed approach has appeared - women's swimwear now takes many forms, from revealing thong bikinis to modest one piece suits, and wearers choose their swimsuits according to their individual tastes. However, men's swimwear has retreated from the very tight speedo briefs seen in the late 1970's. Most men now prefer to bathe in more modest and comfortable boxer style swimwear.

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