Popular Culture
Fashion – Swimwear
Popular culture, according to the Society and Culture syllabus glossary, is a shared set of practices and beliefs that have attained global acceptance and which can be normally characterized by: being associated with commercial products; developing from local to national to global acceptance; allowing consumers to have widespread access to it and are constantly changing an evolving.
My popular culture topic of swimwear is associated with commercial products as swimwear is the commercial product itself because it is sold all over the world, making money through the different designs and what swimmers are in fashion for the new seasons of summer. There are also many products that come with swimwear brands such as Roxy, Billabong, Quiksilver and Speedo. These brands design and make other products such as beach towels, drink bottles, watches, sunscreen, board shorts and shirts that people will buy as they have been influenced by the brands of swimwear through advertising. Swimwear and the fashion of swimmers are a significantly global area. Designers are designing swimwear from all different parts of the world which can then be seen within national and local areas. Fashions can be taken from the large designing companies and brought to local areas. Swimwear started mainly in Roman times where only men were allowed to swim, but the swimwear would only be a small piece of loincloth. Swimwear became more like clothing by the 1900’s when men wore tunics and women with bikini-like garments but this would be different in all different parts of the world. Swimwear changed from covering the whole body and made from thick woolen fabrics to much more exposing pieces made from stretch material made for water. These changes were influenced from many key people that had their faces all around the world including Audrey Hepburn and Annette Kellerman, which influenced the designers of swimwear and the new designs that were becoming popular all around the world. Consumers have always had wide access to all swimwear but maybe more so in the present days when technology has become very popular with things such as online shopping. Nowadays, swimwear can be bought on the internet with just the click of a button and sent to your doorstep which is very popular with society as it is quick and easy for busy people with busy lives. There are always new designs and new products of swimwear being designed and made and put straight into stores for the consumers to buy. Many small, local businesses may not get the quickest stock of new designs and products because of their location and it may be slower than larger companies in more city areas meaning that the people living there may be at an advantage with being able to buy the newest designs out in stores. In the past, swimwear would be accessed through department stores, specialty stores and small businesses which are also still used today. Without the use of online shopping and the advanced technology, this type of shopping was the only option to shop. This may have meant that people would not have gotten much variety within all of the stores. The advantage of online shopping today is that there is many more products for sale that aren’t in stock in stores, it is easy to access without having to leave the home and may be very convenient to certain people because of their location and where they live.
I have an interaction with swimwear, as do most people that go swimming or to the beach. I love seeing the new designs and the fact that old designs of swimwear from the 40’s to 80’s coming back into fashion these days really interests me. I love the idea of having swimmers that have been newly designed but taken from a design way back in those earlier periods. I studied the history of swimwear in textiles for the preliminary course which really made me become really interested in the first place; I loved seeing how swimwear had changed over the years and how the older designs are coming back into fashion. I wanted to find out more about swimwear and the popular culture assignment was the perfect opportunity. I own about 5 or 6 pairs of swimmers. Most of them would be bikinis, and I have one one-piece that I used to wear in the diving competition at school and the all-schools competition. I usually like to buy at least one pair of swimmers each season because the designs and new styles are always changing and I want swimmers that are going to be in fashion for that new season of summer. It depends on what brand and where I buy my swimwear from as to how much a pair would usually cost. If they are of very good quality and are comfortable and are under $100 at least, I will buy them. Throughout primary school it was very ‘cool’ to have the brands of Roxy or Billabong swimmers. They were the biggest fashion within those years and probably would have been the throughout the early years of high schooling years. These days, I would usually buy my swimmers from department stores such as Myer, from the Miss Shop section. I like my swimmers to be fashionable!
Central Material:
The creation of popular culture:
Pre 1900: The earliest evidence of swimwear comes from the classical period when public bathing was very popular, which was in the Roman times. People used to bathe either completely naked or partially so, with men and women both wearing only a small piece of material called a loincloth. Men would also be seen bathing in tunics and women in bikini-like garments. Swimwear was not a very important garment as swimming was still only a ‘small dip’ in the water, not an actual ‘swim’ as such. But the earliest ‘actual’ bathing suit may have possibly been an old smock resembling a kind of ‘bathing gown’. Modesty was a very large factor when it came to clothing and swimwear in those days as style was not much of a consideration. But in Australia in 1833 the New South Wales government passed an act prohibiting swimming in Sydney Harbour from 6am till 8pm. Women were never allowed to swim in public. If men went swimming, they wore one-piece wool flannel suits that covered them from neck to knee.
E how, 1999 – 2012, History of swimsuits, Demand Media, last viewed 19/05/2012
1900 – 09: - woolen swimming dress with sailor collar, bloomers and mop cap
- These first bathing suits were very comfortable and not practical, and women would go as far to hand-sew small weights into the hem of their bathing suits so that it would not float up to expose their legs.
- to cover their legs they also wore black stockings and lace-up shoes
- men and women swam in different areas at the beach
- 1907 – Annette Kellerman was arrested in Australia for wearing a one-piece swimsuit. The swimsuit challenged society’s concept of morality
1910 – 19: - sleeveless two piece woolen tank suit
- desire to sunbathe rather than swim brought about style changes in swimwear after WWI.
- More fitted, although they were still made from wool
1920 – 29: - short leg swimsuit
- people were going to the beach in their thousands
- laws were introduced stating what could be worn at the beach and what couldn’t be
- skin-tight tubular swimsuits made from wool jersey were becoming popular
- these swimsuits bared arms and backs
1930 – 39: - glamour swimsuit inspired by the film industry
- lifesavers bare their chests for the first time in the 1930’s
- swimwear designers used people and movie stars such as Esther Williams, to promote their designs.
- Necklines became lower, hemlines higher and cut-out sections were popular
- shoulder straps could also be lowered for sunbaking
1940 – 49: - two-piece spotted halter neck swimsuit
- bikini was patterned in 1946by Louis Reard
- Corsets or bra cups were built into swimsuits to create shape
- zippers were still used in the centre back of the swimsuit
1950 – 59: - shirred one-piece swimsuit
- striped high-waisted bikini
- new swimming pool culture was becoming acceptable in the 50’s
- to sit by the pool and sunbake but not get wet
1960 – 69: - skirt bikini
- Lycra and nylon were introduced in the 60’s
- these gave stretch to swimwear and there was no longer a need for zippers
- elastic was used around the edges to hold them in place
1970 – 70: - crocheted bikini
- string jersey knit bikini
- 1970 – Australia became leader in bikini designs
- a surf culture evolved with its own music, values and surf brand clothing
- e.g. Roxy, Billabong, Volcom, Quicksilver, Tiger Lilly, Seafolly, Speedo’s
Roselyn Hsueh, 1997, History of women’s swimwear, last viewed 17/05/2012
1980 and onwards: - fashion swimwear
- by the 1980’s it was acceptable to wear anything to the beach
- one-piece swimsuits, bikini’s wetsuits and tan-through fabrics
- In today’s society it in very interesting to see that many swimsuit designs from the 40’s to the 70’s are coming back into fashion with designers and consumers today. Swimsuits such as the bra cups from the 40’s, the high-waisted bottoms, the crocheted bikini, and the fashion swimwear from the early 80’s are all in fashion today. If you walked into a surf shop to buy a pair of swimmers you would find yourself looking into the past of swimwear. The designers of swimwear are bringing in these old designs and making them new which people of this age are loving. In recent years there has been lots of awareness encouragement in Australia, and many other nations, with warnings such as covering up under the sun due to major concerns such as skin cancer. We now see so many people, probably mostly women are wearing rash tops with short or long sleeves and board shorts so that they do not burn their skin under the harshness of the sun. Because of this reason, there is more demand by society and designer for these rash vests and board shorts to be fashionable and with the appropriate and fashionable designs as they are covering up people’s swimmers that are hidden under the rash vests and board shorts. Some people may also just want to wear these over clothes because they are self-conscious of their bodies, and because designers have made sure that the rash vests and boardies they are able to wear these things so that they are sun safe, covered up and fashionable.
The consumption of popular culture
Identify the consumers of popular culture:
All people around the world, of all ages and gender are consumers of this popular culture of swimwear. Many people buy swimmers so that they are able to swim in the summer time and many people may buy them just for the fashion. From my questionnaire that I conducted on swimwear, I found that from the people that answered my questionnaires, there was 65% of females that consume my popular culture and 35% of males that consume my popular culture from the people that I got to answer my questionnaires. Within these genders the ages of all of these participants are shown in the graph above. I found that between the ages of 13 to 19 the majority owned 6 – 10 pairs of swimmers, of different types and styles. These people obviously have the money to be able to afford these many pairs of swimmers, or their parents have the money to buy them for their young children i.e. 13 and 14 years. This may not be the same for everyone in society as it is depending on the people’s socio-economic status for some people. Some people may not be able to afford to buy their children this many pairs of swimmers as they do not earn enough money from their job, or they may be living off the dole. This will affect the consumption of swimwear and what kinds of people consume this popular culture. Some brands of swimwear are targeted at certain people in society, depending on this socio-economic status. Brands like Seafolly, Victoria’s Secret, and sometimes Roxy, Billabong etc. can be very expensive and therefore being targeted at people that have enough money to be able to afford these expensive swimmers. Depending on the types and designs of these brands of swimwear, people with a lower or mid-class status in society may be able to afford these higher brands in the designing department. Another aspect of society not consuming in this popular culture may be for religious or belief and moral practices. To the left, is a picture of a group of Amish women in modest dress at the beach. They believe in staying covered for modesty so they wear dresses from the neck to the ankles with small little hats. Religions such as Orthodox Judaism, Traditional Christian religions such as the Amish, and Islam appear to have a focus on women’s modesty, covering the hair and concealing the body, especially parts of the body that could attract strangers. These beliefs then cause obvious problems in developing modest swimwear, where it can be dangerous to add extra clothing, weighing the body down, which can be very dangerous when swimming, especially in the ocean. The manufacturers of these types of swimwear have created designs that get around these problems through the various new ways such as inventions and redirections.
No author stated, (2009-2012), Modesty Swimwear, last viewed 25/05/2012
Some of the manufacturers of these modesty swimwear types include Ahiida who makes swimwear that incorporates swimming caps, burquinis, leggings, long-sleeved shirts under a skirted garment, which cover the entire body. Also, Wholesome wear who make culottes, skirts and plus-size swimwear which leave the lower calves and lower arms exposed with a high neckline. To the right is an example of modesty swimwear made by Princess Modesty swimwear.
Identify the processes involved in consumption and the nature of the product
Where people purchase their swimwear depends on their location, where they live and where they can afford to shop. The most common places for people to purchase their swimwear are department stores, specialty stores, large outlets, small businesses and through online shopping. This can be seen in this graph shown to the left. This graph shows that that most popular place for people to shop for their swimmers is at large department stores including places like Myer and David Jones. Shops like these have very popular brands, other than surf brands, like Seafolly and Tiger Lilly. These brands are reasonably priced but are mostly aimed again at a certain group/ socio-economic status people. These shops usually have lots of sales that attract people to shop here and good deals. There is so much variety at places such as David Jones and Myer and this may be why people choose to shop for their swimwear here. I shop a lot in small businesses because of where I live, it is smaller town and most of our shops are small. We have one large department store, Myer, and I also shop there as well. I am just getting into online shopping as it is so easy and what I buy can come quickly without me having to leave the house. Online shopping came in second to the department stores as it is coming much for popular and convenient in society today. People don’t need to leave the comfort of their homes when buying their new swimwear as you order it online and it gets sent straight to your doorstep. Others that do not use this way of shopping because there is no chance of trying the swimwear on to see if it fits properly or if it looks good and suits your body type. This can be a big disadvantage with online shopping and why people are still shopping in stores.
The nature of my popular culture of swimwear is naturally that it is an item of clothing which can be taken as a very fashionable item of clothing. People may pride themselves in buying the ‘hottest’ pair of swimmers for the season, or buying swimmers that are the new style that is very popular for that season also and simply just to make a fashion statement. Swimwear comes in many different styles and designs which can be seen earlier throughout the history. Some of these styles include string bikini, one-piece, halter neck, fashion swimmers, skirt bikini, Racerback, thong bikini, board shorts and rash vests.
Consider the aspects of continuity and change in consumption
Swimwear is always changing. But there are also aspects within this popular culture that have stayed the same over years. The designs, patterns, types, styles, and ways of making, designing and the way people are buying swimwear are constantly changing. The styles, types and designs are always changing as the fashion in society changes. Clothing goes in and out of fashion, so new things have to be designed to meet the wants and needs of society. The ways of making and designing swimwear and their new designs have been changing to keep up with the ever changing ways of technology and new manufacturing techniques. Lots of designs would be computer generated these days as technology is becoming the easier and most sufficient way of completing these things now. As I have stated before in the previous few questions, the ways of consumers buying this popular culture is changing as well, at a very fast rate. Online shopping is becoming so popular because for lots of people it is the most convenient and easiest way of buying swimwear within their busy lives these days, compared to only having the choice of going own to the shops, buying whatever you wanted and then driving home again. Online shopping on most websites there will be more variety and more stock in compared to the actual shop, such as department stores, shop outlets and small businesses,with much more variety and choice.
Simple designs within swimwear have mostly been kept the same and as fashion has changed over time designed have modified these designs to keep up with people’s ideas of the fashion in society. The amount of swimwear/pairs that people buy these days has changed dramatically. For example, in the past people may have only owned one or two pairs of swimmers, maybe because this was all they seemed to need or they didn’t have the money to be able to buy as many as people and individuals would own today. From my questionnaire I found that the people from this modern wealthy society owning many pairs of swimwear. This may be because of mass production, and the lower costs relative to their higher incomes compared to earlier decades. Even when I was a younger child, which was only around 10 years or so ago, I used to only own one or two pairs of swimmers. Nowadays, I own 6 pairs of swimmers. The amount of pairs of swimmers that people own these days can be seen in this graph to the left.