Wrong.
It wasn't until this past summer that I learned a couple things about bikinis that I would like to share. First, lets start with their origin. On July 5, 1946, the bikini was invented by Louis Réard, a French engineer who worked in his mother's lingerie shop. It was constructed out of a mere 30-inches of fabric, and was only considered a true bikini if it could be pulled through a wedding ring, and fit entirely into a matchbox. Four days prior to Réard's invention, the United States military had conducted nuclear tests at Bikini Atoll. Réard knew that the public's reaction would be as explosive as these tests, and therefore called his creation the "bikini." The public was horrified by this new swimsuit, and Parisian models refused to even wear such a thing. For this reason, Louis Réard hired a stripper to showcase his new design because no one else dared to wear it. Countries like Belguim, Italy, Spain, and Australia banned bikinis, and they were even declared sinful by the Vatican. Even Modern Girl magazine in 1957 wrote, "It is hardly necessary to waste words over the so-called bikini since it is inconceivable that any girl with tact and decency would ever wear such a thing." There were even guards on US beaches that would measure bathing suits, and those women who dared to show up in a bikini were likely to be kicked off of the beach.
Wow, a lot has changed since back then. If you go to the beach today, almost every female will be wearing a bikini. So what changed? How did we become so accepting of these bikinis that were described by one writer as "a two piece bathing suit that reveals everything about a girl, except for her mother's maiden name"?
In the 1960's things began to change. This time period is known for the sexual revolution, and women's movement. Along with these two changes, came the rising popularity of the bikini. Soon, nobody was afraid to wear one. Last year alone, annual spending on bikinis totaled over 8 billion dollars. EIGHT BILLION DOLLARS! This popularity gets attributed to the power of women, rather than the power of fashion. But what is this power we talk about? Women tend to see the act of wearing a bikini, as a way to say that we are powerful, independent, and strong. Many women see the bikini as an opportunity to be considered an equal, and to be seen as "in control." Whether these thoughts are conscious or subconscious, women all feel a sense of power when wearing a bikni. However, the power they're experiencing may not be the power they were looking for.
In 2009, male college students at Princeton University participated in a study of how the male brain reacts to seeing people in varying amounts of clothing. (Link here) When shown images of scantily clad women, the region of the brain associated with tools and the intention to form action lit up in the subject's brains. This is the same region of the brain that lit up when these same males were shown pictures of screwdrivers and hammers. Some of these men showed ZERO brain activity in the medial prefrontal cortex, which is the part of the brain that lights up when one is pondering another person's thoughts, feelings and intentions. Researchers were shocked by this, because they almost never see this part of the brain shut down in this way. It's as if they were reacting to these women, as they weren't even people, but objects. In a separate Princeton study, undergrads found that men tend to associate bikini-clad women with first person action verbs such as "I push," "I handle," and "I grab." However when shown images of fully clothed women, men tend to associate them with third-person action verbs such as "she pushes," and "she grabs." These clothed women were perceived to be in control of their own actions, whereas the women in bikinis were seen as objects to be used, not someone to connect with.
So from what we see here, wearing a bikini DOES give a woman power. It gives her the power to shut down a man's ability to see her as a person. It gives her the power to be seen as an object, and it gives her the power to cause a man to stumble. It does NOT give a woman the power to be seen as an equal, and it does NOT give a woman the power to be seen as "in control" and as someone to be taken seriously. This power is more attainable when dressing modestly, yet we cringe at that very word.
This word just sounds so lame. Even the synonyms of "modesty" are "simpleness" and "plainness." Honestly, a lifestyle of modesty sounds like I need to start wearing frumpy clothing and asking my grandmother for fashion advice. After doing some research on modest clothing, I was surprised to realize that I can dress modestly without sacrificing fashion, EVEN when I'm buying swimsuits. I'm going to post a couple links to websites I love that offer modest clothing (even one with swimsuits!) but the truth of the matter is that you don't have to shop at special stores or websites in order to get modest clothing. Once you consciously make the decision to dress modestly, you can easily dress in a way that will earn you respect. This week I want to challenge you to take an honest look at your clothing choices and ask yourself some questions. What message are you sending with your clothing? What kind of power are you actually gaining? I don't want anyone to think that I'm going to judge them for dressing immodestly or for wearing a bikini, because quite frankly I'm not going to judge you at all. I just know that personally, I have decided to make an effort to live a modest lifestyle, and I hope to inspire some girls to do the same.
http://www.reyswimwear.com/
http://www.shabbyapple.com/
So what are your thoughts on modesty? I would love to read your comments!!
