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Monokini, a term used for different styles of one-piece swimsuits, which all have in common that they are inspired by the bikini. Most commonly, a monokini is a bikini bottom without the corresponding top, worn by women, that leaves the breasts bare.
Etymology
The word is recorded in English since 1964, deriving from Greek mono- 'single' + part of Bikini (actually the name of a Marshall Islands atoll, since the 1940s applied to the two-part bathing suit), on mistaken notion that the bi- element was the Greek prefix meaning "two".
Original monokini
In 1964, Austrian Rudi Gernreich designed the original monokini in the US. The word is a back formation from bikini, interpreting the first syllable as the prefix bi- "two" and substituting mono- "one."
A picture of Gernreich's monokini can be seen on this external page.
Other uses of the term
- The term "monokini" is sometimes used to describe a swimsuit which resembles a bikini but where the top and bottom parts have been made in one piece, usually connected at the sides of the body.
- Monokini can also refer to what is perhaps more commonly known as a sling bikini.
Microkini
A microkini is an extremely scant form of bikini or one-piece swimsuit (for the women) designed to cover only the minimum required parts of a wearer's body. Men's designs are extremely scant versions of thong or g-string swimsuits. Patterned after minimalist garments worn by tribal peoples in various tropical parts of the world, the term "microkini" was coined in 1995 in an online community dedicated to enthusiasts of the radical designs.
Typically, microkinis are narrow thong or g-string bottomed swimsuits with very narrow strips of material for covering only the genitalia. These designs are so minimalist that they make conventional thong-back bathing suits look conservative by comparison.
The modern microkini's origins can be traced back to the early-1970's in Venice Beach, California where, after legislation was passed banning nudity there, beach regulars began making their own tiny bathing suits to comply with the new laws. The homemade suits were often little more than tiny, remnant pieces of fabric, crudely sewn together with thin twine or fishing line. Then around 1975, a local bikini shop picked up on the idea and began to make more practical styles using modern materials. Soon after, certain adult film actresses began wearing the shop's suits in their films and the styles began to catch on.
Microkinis fill a niche between nudism and conservative swimwear. In addition to keeping the wearer just within legal limits of decency, they have also evolved to become the ultimate in provocative sun wear. Dozens of manufacturers around the world have begun producing microkinis for men and women, most with internet-based business functions.
See also
Sources and references
External links
"Monokini"