• Cultural Perspectives on Bikinis

Cultural Perspectives on Bikinis

Since their appearance in America in 1946, bikinis have been considered not only as the symbol of human freedom and liberation, but also the symbol of the modernist culture of the 20th century. Bikinis were soon accepted by the postmodern society, and became the fashion symbol of expressing the various postmodern culture ideas. However, for the ordinary people, bikinis are just the swimwear, which they can wear on the beach. Actually, various styles of bikinis can reveal different cultural ideas. Beyond their original practical functions, bikinis become the symbol of the cultural concept.
 
In general, the following four styles of bikinis can be seen everywhere on the beach.
 
The romantic style
Romance is the rich expression of emotion. The romantic style bikinis usually have bright colors, printed elastic fabrics as well as the lattice, stripes and flower patterns, which are full of feminine charm, vitality, cheerfulness and enthusiasm. These kinds of bikinis also have the dynamic style, which will easily make people think of the beautiful scenes such as the bright summer sunshine, the jump on the beach and the touch of the breeze. The romantic style bikinis are often designed with the decorative stripes on the cup junctions and the waists, adding the elegant sense of movement to the bikinis.
 
The anatomical style
The characteristics of the anatomical style bikinis are being simple and exposed. This kind of bikini may easily make people think of the metal and the digit of the cyber-culture era. The human bodies are cut by points, lines and planes, and displayed in geometric figures such as triangles, rectangles, straight lines, etc. The anatomical style bikinis usually use the monochrome elastic thin fabrics with light colors and flashes. The anatomical style bikini also has the noticeable asymmetric design, and its back is designed without the fabrics which makes the body fully exposed to the sun. The elastic thin fiber plays the role of the second skin, which makes the bikini become one part of the body.
 
The playful style
Play is s special term for the modern culture, which contains different aspects of entertainment, life and work, and laws and customs are called the rules of play. The playful style bikinis usually have light colors, monochrome, printed or slightly thick elastic fabrics. The design of the playful style bikinis focuses on the ruffles decoration on the fronts or the edges, some ruffles may even covering the whole chests. Generally, the playful style bikinis do not have the steel wire, and usually leave the lively and lovely impression for people.
 
The sport style
The sport style bikinis also can be called the healthy style bikinis. Health is pursued by the modern people, and it is believed by many people that you own everything when you own health. The sport style bikinis are mainly made of printed elastic fabrics and are a little bit like the sports underwear. They usually have the wide shoulder straps.