Origin - The swimsuits of this decade were similar to the last decade but there were some changes. Nearly all women's swimsuits had skirts as the bottom portion of the clothing article in the decade and the previous ones. These skirts were getting shorter. The biggest changes in these swimsuits were in the top half. The halter top was introduced in this decade. This changed the straps of the swimsuit. It also revealed more of the woman’s back. The two piece swimsuit was also introduced in the 1940s. These swimsuits revealed a small section of the woman’s midsection.
Purpose - There were a few purposes for these new swimsuits. They revealed more skin to the sun which was beneficial for sunbathing. Sunbathing was extremely popular during this time. They were also more practical for water activities including sports. The material did not get as heavy as it did in the past and there was less fabric to get in the way of movement. These swimsuits were also a lot more fashionable than the swimsuits from previous decades. Rather than the plain black fabric that was used previously these swimsuits were made out of colorful fabrics with more patterns.
Value - These swimsuits reflect on the progression of culture during this decade. It was much more acceptable for women to wear more revealing clothing in the 1940s than it had ever been. Women were much closer to being equal to men in law which is shown by the fact that they are wearing what they want to. Many people did not like how revealing these swimsuits were but women wore them anyways. These swimsuits show the progression of women’s rights up to the 1940s.
Limitations - There were many negative reactions to these swimsuits because of how revealing they were. The swimsuits can tell us that women were wearing things that people didn’t want them to wear but they can’t tell us about the retaliation of the people who wanted more revealing clothing. They also can’t tell us who was reacting badly to the swimsuits. It could have been just men or just women or some of both. We can not find this out by only looking at the swimsuits.
This is a really cool blog! I never thought about the historical context of bathing suits before. I learned a lot from all of the analysis done on swim suits. I didn't know how much change they went through. One suggestion is you can add a few sources in case people want to learn more. But great job!
ReplyDeleteThis was very organized and informative. The pictures were good and it was a unique and creative blog topic. Great job!
ReplyDeleteThis is a great blog! I never considered that fact there was history behind very simple and small things in life such as swimsuits. Its interesting to see how they have evolved depending on the decades. A very nice blog overall, keep up the good work!
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