Swimsuit History

Swimsuits are garments that are worn during swimming or sun bathing.  Styles range from shorts for men to tiny bikinis for women.  They can be skin tight or loose fitting.  The most popular men's swimsuit is shorts but some men wear thongs or other tight swimwear.  Women's swimwear includes one piece swimsuits, bikinis, and monokinis.  There are variations of each of these, including sheer material and skirted swimsuits.
The monokini has recently gained popularity in the United States but has been popular in South America and Europe for years.  Monokinis are one piece suits that wear like a bikini.  They are typically open on the front, sides, or both.  Most swimsuit history covers on and two piece suits that covered a lot more than the swimsuits of today.
Swimsuit history can be traced back to the 1700's.  Women's swimsuits during this time were, essentially, dresses with weights attached to them to make sure they didn't float up and reveal anything.  Men's swimsuits during this time were made of wool and covered most of the body, including arms and legs.
A century later the two-piece swimsuit was born.  It was far from the bikinis of today as it consisted of a gown that hung from the shoulders to the knees and leggings underneath that stretched to the ankles.  In the early 1900's you could be arrested for indecent exposure if your swimsuit didn't cover your arms, legs, and neck.  It was around this time that swimsuits began to be slightly tighter fitting and began to shrink in size.  The collars disappeared and arms were beginning to be shown.  Legs were still partially covered but only down to the middle of the thigh.
The original bikinis were introduced in the 1920's .  These were much less revealing than the bikinis of today but they did show bare skin between the top and bottom.  It wasn't until the 1960's that bikinis began to shrink in size.  Until then, tops were made to cover more than just the breats and bottoms came up to cover the navel.  From the 1960's through today, swimsuits have shrank in every way.  Necklines dropped and bottoms, sometimes barely cover anything.  These bathing suits are far removed from the wool bathing gowns of the 18th century.
The evolution of swimwear has reached a point in time where swimsuits just can't get any smaller.  Smaller would equate to nudity.  As the monokini has shown, there is a minor trend in swimwear that makes them slightly more concealing.  I wouldn't expect to see a wool bathing gown anytime soon, however.