Cat2 Culture History

The Bikini Photoshoot that Shocked the World and Changed Beach Culture Forever

Jul 5, 2025

Image by Steve Allen via Shutterstock

 

July 5 just got exposed as one scandalous day that left the fashion world shell-shocked.

That’s the day when French designer Louis Réard unleashed his jaw-dropping creation on an unsuspecting world.

And what happened next left every proper lady absolutely red with rage.

The Explosive Debut That Nobody Saw Coming

Picture this: It’s 1946, and Europe’s just catching its breath after years of war. French women are ready to celebrate their first war-free summer in ages. Then along comes Louis Réard, a former automobile engineer running his mother’s business, with an idea so outrageous it would make headlines worldwide.

On July 5, 1946, French designer Louis Réard unveils a daring two-piece swimsuit at the Piscine Molitor, a popular swimming pool in Paris. Parisian showgirl Micheline Bernardini modeled the new fashion, which Réard dubbed "bikini," inspired by a news-making U.S. atomic test that took place off the Bikini Atoll in the Pacific Ocean earlier that week.

Here’s where it gets interesting. Réard wasn’t the only one trying to shock people. He had competition from another French designer, Jacques Heim, who’d created his own tiny two-piece called the "Atome" and bragged it was "the world’s smallest bathing suit."

But Réard? This guy had other plans.

The Showgirl Who Made History

In planning the debut of his new swimsuit, Réard had trouble finding a professional model who would deign to wear the scandalously skimpy two-piece. So he turned to Micheline Bernardini, an exotic dancer at the Casino de Paris, who had no qualms about appearing nearly nude in public.

Smart move. While the fancy fashion models ran for the hills, 19-year-old Bernardini stepped up and made fashion history. She put on the four small patches he had strung together and showed the fashion world the female belly button.

"As an allusion to the headlines that he knew his swimsuit would generate, he printed newspaper type across the suit that Bernardini modeled on July 5 at the Piscine Molitor. The bikini was a hit, especially among men, and Bernardini received some 50,000 fan letters."

That’s right. One photo shoot, 50,000 fan letters. Talk about making an impression.

Why They Called It the "Bikini"

The name choice wasn’t random. Réard called his creation the bikini, named after the Bikini Atoll. He named after the Bikini Atoll, the remote island where atoms were being split in atomic bomb tests that very week.

Réard hoped his creation would have an equally explosive impact on fashion. Turns out, he wasn’t wrong.

The guy even had a clever marketing trick up his sleeve. Réard’s business soared, and in advertisements he kept the bikini mystique alive by declaring that a two-piece suit wasn’t a genuine bikini "unless it could be pulled through a wedding ring."

Europe Went Wild, America Freaked Out

Before long, bold young women in bikinis were causing a sensation along the Mediterranean coast. Spain and Italy passed measures prohibiting bikinis on public beaches but later capitulated to the changing times when the swimsuit grew into a mainstay of European beaches in the 1950s.

But that was nothing compared to what the religious authorities had to say.

The first Miss World contest, originally the Festival Bikini Contest, was organized by Eric Morley as a mid-century advertisement for swimwear at the Festival of Britain. When, the winner Kiki Håkansson from Sweden, was crowned in a bikini, countries with religious traditions threatened to withdraw delegates. The bikinis were outlawed and evening gowns introduced instead. Håkansson remains the only Miss World crowned in a bikini, a crowning that was condemned by the Pope.

The Vatican’s Brutal Response

The Catholic Church didn’t mess around when it came to the bikini. When Kiki Håkansson from Sweden was crowned Miss World in a bikini in 1951, the Pope condemned the crowning. Catholic-majority countries like Belgium, Italy, Spain and Australia also banned the swimsuit that same year. The National Legion of Decency pressured Hollywood to keep bikinis from being featured in Hollywood movies.

They thought this tiny piece of fabric was going to destroy civilization as they knew it.

Perhaps because it already happened to the Roman world.

From Victorian Wool to War-Time Freedom

To understand why the bikini caused such a stir, you’ve got to see where women’s swimwear started. Back in the 1890s, taking a dip in the ocean required enough fabric to clothe a small army. Ladies wore heavy wool dresses with weights sewn into the hems to keep them from riding up. They even had to use wheeled boxes to get from the beach to the water without anyone seeing them.

By the 1900s, things loosened up slightly. Swimwear evolved from those heavy wool dresses to more practical designs, though they were still quite modest by today’s standards.

In the United States, the modest two-piece made its appearance during World War II, when wartime rationing of fabric saw the removal of the skirt panel and other superfluous material.

The war changed everything. Fabric was precious, so designers had to get creative with less material. That bare midriff look? Born out of necessity, not scandal.

America’s Slow Surrender

In prudish America, the bikini was successfully resisted until the early 1960s, when a new emphasis on youthful liberation brought the swimsuit en masse to U.S. beaches.

America held out for almost two decades. But when they finally gave in, they went all out.

It was immortalized by the pop singer Brian Hyland, who sang "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka-Dot Bikini" in 1960. It was considered a novelty song, but became a #1 song in the summer of 1960, the only #1 hit he had.

That silly little song about a girl too shy to come out of the water became the anthem of bikini acceptance. Beach movies with Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon, the Beach Boys’ surf culture – suddenly the bikini was everywhere.

The Ultimate Fashion Victory

What started as a scandal became a revolution. The bikini went from being condemned by the Pope to becoming a summer staple that could fit in your purse.

Made out of a scant 30 inches of fabric, Réard promoted his creation as "smaller than the world’s smallest bathing suit." Today, that seems almost modest compared to what you’ll see on any beach.

The bikini didn’t just change swimwear – it changed how society thought about women’s bodies, modesty, and freedom. What once required arrest warrants and papal condemnation now gets worn to family pool parties.

So this July 5th, when you see someone in a bikini, remember you’re looking at the ultimate fashion rebel. A tiny piece of fabric that took on the Vatican, Hollywood, and half the world’s governments – and won.

Louis Réard probably never imagined his little experiment in shock value would become one of the most enduring fashion statements in history. But sometimes the most explosive ideas come in the smallest packages.

Check out the posts below of some of the most iconic bikini-clad celebrities through the decades.

Salma Hayek

Brigitte Bardot

Marylin Monroe

Rachel Welch

Sharon Tate

Pam Anderson

Liz Hurley

Sofia Vergara

Sydney Sweeney

Sources: ¹ History.com – "Bikini introduced | July 5, 1946" ² The Washington Post – "National Bikini Day: Who invented the bikini?" ³ Fox News – "History of the bikini: WWII, a liberated summer, and ‘prudish’ America’s slow adoption" ⁴ Wikipedia – "History of the bikini" ⁵ CBS Texas – "Ken Foote’s Summer Songs: Two From Brian Hyland"

 

 

 

 

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