The Modern History of the Bikini: The Iconic Two-Piece Swimsuit and Its Biggest Stars (11 Photos)

Two-piece swimsuits are a surprisingly recent addition to the beach scene. For decades, women were expected to hit the water fully covered, their bodies shielded from both the sun and the male gaze.

Up until the 1950s, wearing a two-piece in public was widely considered scandalous. But social norms evolved, and fashion moved with them. The first to dare wear the new swimsuit—dubbed the bikini—were high-profile style icons, movie stars, and fashion models whose glamour was beyond debate.





Here is a look back at the journey the bikini took before becoming a staple on beaches around the globe.



1. Micheline Bernardini

Micheline Bernardini was working as a nightclub dancer when French designer Louis Réard spotted her. Passing over established models, he chose the unknown dancer to showcase the world’s first modern bikini at the Piscine Molitor in Paris in 1946. It would take another two decades for mainstream society to accept such a daring look.





2. Raquel Welch

The film

One Million Years B.C.

hit theaters back in 1966, sparking fierce debate over the lead actress's costume. Raquel Welch spent most of the movie strutting on screen in what was, for the time, a scandalously revealing suit. Her iconic fur-and-leather bikini secured a permanent spot in cinema history and reshaped how the public viewed the garment.



3. Brigitte Bardot

Brigitte Bardot captivated audiences regardless of what she wore, but her screen presence undeniably changed fashion history. In the 1950s, while even progressive Americans frowned upon the bikini, French cinema shattered puritanical norms with the 1952 film

Manina, the Girl in the Bikini

. Naturally, the movie's explosive impact would have been impossible without the mesmerizing Bardot in the lead role.



4. Bettie Page

Bettie Page played a major role in bringing the two-piece swimsuit into mainstream pop culture. She was one of the first to step onto a public beach wearing a bikini she designed herself. To this day, her trademark polka-dot bikini remains an American style classic.



5. Marilyn Monroe

Let's be honest: Marilyn Monroe was never one for modesty. In many of her films, including the masterpiece

Some Like It Hot

, she stunned audiences in daring outfits. One of her most memorable looks was a white swimsuit. Though it technically complied with the era's standards by being a one-piece, calling it conservative would be a stretch.



6. Ursula Andress

Her iconic screen debut in the James Bond franchise catapulted Ursula Andress to global fame.

Dr. No

became one of the most famous films in the series, largely thanks to Andress's legendary white bikini. By the summer of 1962, beaches everywhere were suddenly filled with young women embracing the look. The long-standing taboo was officially shattered.



7. Pam Grier

Coffy

is widely regarded as a cult classic of Blaxploitation cinema. While it boasted a sharp script and memorable characters, the film’s runaway success owed much to Pam Grier, who famously rocked a crocheted bikini. The outfit was a huge hit, signaling that fashion had not only accepted revealing swimsuits, but was ready to push creative boundaries.



8. Pamela Anderson

Like Marilyn Monroe, Pamela Anderson was bound to make this list.

Baywatch

featured plenty of sun-kissed beauties, but the show wouldn't have become a global phenomenon without Anderson’s effortless charisma in her iconic red lifeguard suit. The show's massive TV run further normalized alluring swimwear in popular culture. And while her high-cut one-piece wasn't technically a bikini, it was no less revolutionary.



9. Carrie Fisher

Carrie Fisher’s gold metal bikini as Princess Leia in

Star Wars VI: Return of the Jedi

marked a new chapter in pop-culture empowerment. Interestingly, Fisher herself pushed for the outfit after complaining that her previous costumes hid her figure. Under her insistence, George Lucas gave the costume designers the green light to create Leia's famous slave outfit—a bold statement of confidence and control.



10. Salma Hayek

By the time

From Dusk Till Dawn

hit theaters, the bikini was already a beach standard, no longer triggering outrage from moral guardians. Yet Salma Hayek managed to take it to another level, proving that it wasn't just about the suit itself, but the magnetic grace and movement of the woman wearing it.