1980 - 1989

Origin - The 1980s were full of bright colors and bold statements and the swimsuits were no exception. Many swimsuits consisted of a range of neon colors. The swimsuits were still quite revealing. There was still an option of one piece swimsuits but bikinis were growing in popularity. Swimsuits revealed more and more of women’s bodies especially their sides and midriffs. The bikinis of the 80s were changing. The bottoms of two piece swimsuits began being high-waisted. This style was introduced in the 80s but it carried into later decades. Exercising also became very popular. There were very bold workout outfits and this carried over to swimsuits.  

Purpose - The purpose of the swimsuits in the 80s was to make bold statements. The bold colors and how revealing the swimsuits were made bold statements. The swimsuits being revealing made the statement of women taking control of their bodies and wearing what they wanted to even if it pushed boundaries. The colors of the swimsuits were bolder and brighter than they had ever been. In the previous decade many swimsuits were more neutral colors but in the 80s they were most commonly neon. This also made a bold statement of standing out.

Value - The swimsuits of the 1980s reflects on the overall style of the 80s. One of the biggest thing in fashion was neon colors. Many of the swimsuits were also neon. The swimsuits were still revealing but not much more than the last decade. This shows that there was not much change in boundary pushing between the 70s and the 80s in women’s fashion. Some of the swimsuits and other fashions of this decade reflect on the idea of working out and being fit that was popular in the 80s. The 80s has a reputation of neon workout clothes and this shows through some of the popular swimsuits.

Limitations - The swimsuits of the 80s tell us about the fashions of young white women. However they do not tell us about the fashions of other groups of people. We do not know what the fashions of older people are. We don’t know if they caught onto this fad or if they kept their own styles. The swimsuits also can’t tell us about mens fashion of the 80s. We do not know if they also wore these bright colors or if they kept to the more neutral colors. We also do not know what the fashions of other races were. The popular images of the swimsuits only depict young white women.