1920 - 1929

The new swimsuits of the roaring 20s were revolutionary.

Origin - These swimsuits exposed a lot more skin than any of the previous swimsuits. They were one piece and covered the same amount of skin as a t-shirt and shorts. A popular outfit for the beach was a long shirt with flannel pants. This was often worn over the one piece swimsuits. The swimsuits were tight fitting and revealed women’s figures. The new women’s swimsuit of the 1920s looked similar to previous men’s swimsuits. These swimsuits were some of the first to have fun patterns on the material.

Purpose - The new swimsuits had many purposes. They were more practical and easier to swim in. There was less material so the swimsuits weren’t as heavy and they didn’t get in the way of the swimmer as much. They also helped the feminist movement. Like with many other types of women’s clothing, swimsuits were being changed in order to break gender roles. Even though it might not be the first thing you think of when you think of new swimsuits they were helping to make men and women be seen as equals in law and society. Women’s swimsuits were not only more revealing they were also more similar to men’s swimsuits. Having clothing that is the same can help make the wearers seem equal.

Value - In the 1920s women had just gotten the right to vote. Many women were changing society by breaking the gender roles. Throughout the 1920s women used their appearance to break the roles. They had shorter hair and their clothing was more revealing. These swimsuits are an example of breaking the gender roles. The swimsuits were much more revealing. They were a lot more tight fitting and showed more skin than ever before. Men and women’s swimsuits were getting more and more similar. This reflects on the fact that men and women were becoming more equal in law and in society during this decade.

Limitations - These swimsuits of the 1920s can say a lot about the changing times and apparel but there is a limit to what they can tell us. The swimsuits were changing a lot and many people didn’t like how revealing they were. Many women got in trouble for wearing these swimsuits and some even got arrested. These swimsuits caused a lot of problems but the swimsuits themselves can’t tell us what the problems were.