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Article:
Women's Swimwear Revolution: Cover-ups and show-offs for your body at the beach! by: Linda Paquette Swimsuits have ebbed and flowed through the centuries! It's almost certain that the first swimmers wore no suit at all and although some historians date women's first swimsuits to the Eighteenth Century, the first recorded use of clothing for swimwear dates back to 300 BC in ancient Greece. Togas were then the typical attire for bathing and swimming, yet bikini-clad women are visible in mosaics located in the villa at Piazza Armernia in Sicily. Swimming for recreation declined at the fall of the Roman Empire and the sea was viewed as only a therapeutic spa. Even as late as the Eighteenth Century a brief 'dip' in the waters of a public bath was considered a swim. Modesty was the word of the day. Men kept to one side of a beach or pool and women to the other. Women's swimwear was confined to bathing gowns. Some women even sewed lead weights into the hems of these smocks to prevent them from floating to the surface and exposing their legs. Technological Revolution Causes Swimwear Evolution By the early 1800's, technology made radical changes in recreation as railroads made seaside vacations more accessible. Americans flocked to the beaches and women were no longer content to sit on the shore. The need for a comfortable recreational garment was born and the women's swimsuit revolution began. The modern day swimsuit began as a smock worn over bloomers and black stockings. In '1880
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