File:Oriental Beach, Wellington c.1947 (18939848098).jpg

The girls in this photograph are wearing trendy two-piece bathing suits that are far far too modest for Bikinis.

The Bikini swimsuit was unveiled in Paris on 5 July 1946. It was a spectacle that almost didn’t happen as the designer, Louis Réard, had difficulty finding women willing to model the skimpy suit. A 19 year old French showgirl named Micheline Bernardini rose to challenge, strutting in the newspaper-printed g-string bikini for a fashion show at the Piscine Molitor, a popular swimming pool in Paris. Bernardini received over 50,000 fan letters following the debut of the bikini.

Prior to the introduction of the bikini, swimsuits were more modest, but did include two piece options. The difference was in the visibility of the bellybutton. For New Zealand women, bathing suit competitions came into vogue in the 1930s, and reached a peak of popularity in the 1950s and 1960s. Girls and women of all ages paraded across the stage in their bathing suits vying for local titles such as Miss Tiny Tot, Junior Miss, Miss, and Mother and Daughter. In the wake of feminist criticism, such competitions had virtually died out by the end of the twentieth century.

This image shows you and men and women enjoying a sunny day at Oriental Beach, Wellington, c. 1947.

Archives Reference: AAQT 6539 W3537 35/A1996 www.archway.archives.govt.nz/ViewFullItem.do?code=21010696

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