And I remember sitting on the edge of the pool and just crouching over and trying to pull the top down because I wanted the two pieces to connect.

我蹲坐在泳池邊，努力地把上半身的泳衣往下拉，試著讓上下泳衣連接在一塊。

The bikini is a fashion icon.

比基尼是時尚的新指標。

Let's be honest, people like to look at people in bikinis.

老實說，誰不愛看比基尼？

But the skimpy nature of the bikini doesn't quite explain all of its popularity.

比基尼會如此受到歡迎，並不全然是因為布料少。

So how did the smallest suit in the world become the biggest one?

究竟比基尼是如何成為時尚主流的呢？

It's pretty crazy that the bikini is the most popular swimsuit on earth, given how restricted women's clothing has been throughout history.

長久以來，女性的穿著一直受到嚴苛限制，而比基尼竟然能成為最受歡迎的泳衣，著實讓人驚訝。

Up until the 1900s, people in Europe and North America used this really weird contraption called a "Bathing Machine"-- a wooden box on wheels, like a mobile changing room.

1900 年代歐洲和北美地區的人會使用一台裝有輪子的木箱作為行動更衣間，而這台奇怪的裝置叫作「沐浴機」。

Women would sit in the box, which was then pulled down to the ocean by a horse.

女生坐在木箱中，接著會由一匹馬會把這個木箱拉到海上。

This was meant to keep women hidden away from the eyes of men.

這麼做是為了要防止男生偷看。

A lot of places had strict laws about minimum swimsuit length.

許多地區都針對泳衣的長度加以最短限制。

Police would even walk around with rulers and straight up measure your bathing suit.

警察會攜帶量尺，直接對你的泳衣進行測量。

That is so gross.

聽起來真噁心。

Public opinion on the matter didn't really change until Annette Kellerman, a swimmer and silent film star, was arrested for wearing a more form-fitting suit in 1907.

民眾的不滿並未改變這項不合理的規定，直到一位名叫 Annette Kellerman 的游泳健將兼默劇演員於 1907 年因穿著緊身衣物而被捕入獄，事情才有了轉機。

Kellerman's high-profile arrest caused people to re-think the frumpy suits in favor of a tighter, more aerodynamic approach.

Kellerman 的入獄事件引發各界高度關注，人們也開始重新思考以風阻小的緊身衣取代傳統蓬鬆的衣服。

It's good to note, more revealing two-pieces had already existed for hundreds of years.

兩件式泳衣已有超過百年的歷史。

These mosaics from the Villa del Casale in Sicily feature women in bikini-like outfits as early as the fourth century.

西西里卡薩爾古羅馬別墅中的這些馬賽克圖畫中，可以看到早在西元四世紀，女生就穿著類似比基尼的衣服。

So when did the skimpy swimsuit finally resurface?

那麼，到底比基尼泳裝是什麼時候開始流行的呢？

Fast forward to 1946.

回到西元 1946 年。

The United States has been testing nuclear weapons in a place called Bikini Atoll in the Pacific.

美國在位於太平洋上的比基尼環礁測試核武器。

A French engineer by the name of Louis Reard decided he wanted to make a similar sized explosion in the world of fashion.

一位名叫 Louis Reard 的法國工程師決定要在時尚界丟下核武般的震撼彈。

Reard had created what he called the smallest bathing suit in the world.

因此，他創造了世界上布料最少的泳衣。

Basically just two triangle pieces of fabric held together by some string.

基本上，就是兩個三角形布料串聯在一起。

There's only one problem.

但出現了一個大問題。

The suit was so small, that none of the models in Paris would wear it.

巴黎沒有一位模特兒願意穿上這件布料極少的泳衣。

Reard had to enlist the help of a burlesque dancer from a nearby casino, Micheline Bernardini, to unveil the bikini at the Piscine Molitor pool in Paris.

因此 Reard 去附近賭場徵求表演舞者的協助，最後是由 Micheline Bernardini 在巴黎莫利托的泳池展示比基尼給全世界。

The suit got a big reaction.

這件泳衣獲得廣大迴響。

The Vatican declared it sinful.

梵諦岡隨即宣布比基尼違法。

Spain and Italy banned it immediately, and Bernardini started getting lots of fan mail.

西班牙和義大利也馬上禁止比基尼，不過 Bernardini 也收到了許多粉絲來信。

By 1950, the bikini was a permanent fixture on European beaches, and by 1960 it caught on in North America.

在 1950 年的歐洲海灘隨處可見比基尼，1960 年開始也傳遍北美地區。

And now, it's one of the most iconic pieces of clothing ever.

到現在，它已經成為極具代表性的衣著。

At the end of the day, you don't have to wear a bikini, but it is pretty nice having the option.

到頭來，你並不一定要穿比基尼，不過多了一項選擇是件好事。

What's your experience with a bikini?

你穿比基尼的經驗怎麼樣呢？

You can tell me in the comments below, or on social media with the hashtag #WEWEARCULTURE.

你可以在下方留言告訴我，或是在其他社群媒體上標註 #WEWEARCULTURE。

Thank you so much for watching.

感謝你的收看。

If you enjoyed learning about that as much as I did, head on over to Google Arts and Culture here, and make sure to check out the rest of the videos by clicking over here.

如果你喜歡這類型的知識，可以點擊右邊有關藝術文化的連結，也記得點擊左邊收看更多影片。