Bikini and Bikini Variants

A Bikini or two piece is a women's swimsuit with two parts, one covering the breasts (optionally in the case of the monokini), the other the groin (and optionally the buttocks), leaving an uncovered area between the two (optionally in the case of the Tankini). It is often worn in hot weather or while swimming. The shapes of both parts of a bikini resemble women's underwear, and the lower part can range from revealing thong or g-string to briefs and modest square-cut shorts.


Bikini Variants

Bikini Underwear

Types of underwear worn by both men and women are identified as bikini underwear, similar in size and revealing nature to the bottom half of a bikini bathing suit. For women, bikini underwear can refer to virtually any tight, skimpy, or revealing undergarment that provides less coverage to the midsection than traditional underwear, panties or knickers. For men, a bikini is a type of undergarment that is smaller and more revealing than men's briefs.

Sports Bikini

There is evidence of ancient roman women playing Expulsim Ludere, an early version of handball.[32] Female athletes who play beach volleyball professionally usually wear two-pieces. These bikinis are designed with functionality rather than fashion in mind.

Men's Bikini

The term men's bikini is used to describe types of men's swimsuits, men's underwear, or similar garments. Men's bikinis can have both high or low side panels, string sides or tie sides, and most lack a button or flap front. Many do not have a visible waistband like briefs. Suits less than 1.5 inches wide at the hips are less common for sporting purposes and are most often worn for recreation, fashion, and sun tanning.

An example of this style, known as the posing brief, is the standard for competitions in the sport of bodybuilding. Male Punk rock musicians have performed on the stage wearing woman's bikini briefs.Men can now be seen wearing bikinis, thongs, and g-strings at pools and beaches throughout the world, however, it is still less popular in the United States than in Europe where men have been wearing bikinis for decades.

Mankini

Mankini is a type of sling bikini worn by men. It was popularized by Sacha Baron Cohen when he donned one in the film Borat. The buzz around the film started building during the Cannes Film Festival in May 2006, when Baron Cohen posed in character on the beach in a neon green mankini, alongside two models. According to one fashion expert suspenders combined with bikini briefs or panties form an unaesthetic pattern. Hollywood comic Jim Carrey has worn a mankini on the beach, and British designer Alexander McQueen paraded male models in mankinis in Milan Fashion Week 2008. Mankinis have also caused controversy in New Zealand, with the wearing of mankinis to rugby sevens tournaments banned.