The Pittsburgh Rebellion was a women's American football team based in Pittsburgh and a member of the Legends Football League (LFL).
122-684: The franchise was announced as the twenty-first franchise in the Legends Football League (LFL) in late 2016. The team was a member of the Eastern Conference in the 2017 season and played in Highmark Stadium , an outdoor soccer-specific stadium . Following the season, the Rebellion decided not to play in 2018 in order to find a more suitable venue to host the team's home games. The team also did not return in
244-533: A white bikini , which became known as the " Dr. No bikini ". It became one of the most famous bikinis of all time and an iconic moment in cinematic and fashion history. Andress said that she owed her career to that white bikini, remarking, "This bikini made me into a success. As a result of starring in Dr. No as the first Bond girl , I was given the freedom to take my pick of future roles and to become financially independent." The bikini finally caught on, and in 1963,
366-539: A " facekini " to protect their face from sunburns . In most parts of the Middle East , bikinis are either banned or are highly controversial. On March 18, 1973, when Lebanese magazine Ash-Shabaka printed a bikini-clad woman on the cover, they had to make a second version with only the face of the model. In 2011, when Huda Naccache ( Miss Earth 2011) posed for the cover of Lilac (based in Israel ), she became
488-495: A "psychological link between atomic destruction and sexuality" in popular culture, which includes the stenciling of Rita Hayworth onto one of the bombs detonated at Crossroads, and its persistence in language has been argued as having "trivialized and downplayed the reality of nuclear testing," given the contamination done by especially later US thermonuclear tests at Bikini and other Marshallese atolls. By making an analogy with words like bilingual and bilateral containing
610-576: A "two-piece bathing suit which reveals everything about a girl except for her mother's maiden name." Fashion magazine Modern Girl Magazine in 1957 stated that "it is hardly necessary to waste words over the so-called bikini since it is inconceivable that any girl with tact and decency would ever wear such a thing". In 1951, Eric Morley organized the Festival Bikini Contest , a beauty contest and swimwear advertising opportunity at that year's Festival of Britain . The press, welcoming
732-560: A 28–6 victory over Philadelphia Passion. The Temptation's Ashley Salerno and Amber Reed were co-MVP's, with Salerno throwing three touchdown passes and Reed scoring two rushing touchdowns. In 2012, the LFL expanded its annual "All-Fantasy" game into a three-game international series, with one game in Mexico and two games in Australia. The Mexico All-Fantasy Game took place on May 5, 2012, at
854-698: A 31–24 victory in the third and final "All-Fantasy" match in Sydney , Australia, on June 9, 2012, at Allphones Arena . Queensland native and wide receiver for the Los Angeles Temptation Chloe Butler served as the ambassador of LFL Football coming to Australia and captained the Western Conference squad. The LFL then helped found the Ladies Gridiron League in Australia to serve as a minor league for
976-480: A bra, and two front-and-back triangular pieces of fabric covering the mons pubis and the buttocks , respectively, connected by string. When he was unable to find a fashion model willing to showcase his revealing design, Réard hired Micheline Bernardini , an 18-year old nude dancer from the Casino de Paris . He announced that his swimsuit, was "smaller than the world's smallest bathing suit". Réard said that "like
1098-544: A comeback during the 1980s and early 1990s. In 1997, Miss Maryland Jamie Fox became the first contestant in 50 years to compete in a two-piece swimsuit at the Miss America Pageant . Actresses in action films like Blue Crush (2002) and Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (2003) made the two-piece "the millennial equivalent of the power suit ", according to Gina Bellafonte of The New York Times . According to Beth Dincuff Charleston, research associate at
1220-407: A cut of net revenue, Mortaza stopped paying his players beginning in the 2011 season and converted the league into an amateur organization; players must also pay for their own health insurance. League founder Mortaza admitted at one point the league was marketed toward "mostly beer-drinking college students aged 21 and up." The league received many complaints from players in regards to safety. Since
1342-807: A famous incident in 1952, model Ann Ferguson was asked to leave a beach in Surfers Paradise because her Paula Stafford bikini was too revealing. The bikini was banned in Australia, on the French Atlantic coastline, in Spain, in Italy, and in Portugal, and was prohibited or discouraged in a number of US states. The United States Motion Picture Production Code , also known as the Hays Code, enforced from 1934, allowed two-piece gowns but prohibited
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#17327980204471464-437: A former model and author of The Bikini Book , "It didn't sag, it didn't bag, and it concealed and revealed. It wasn't so much like lingerie anymore." Increased reliance on stretch fabric led to simplified construction. This fabric allowed designers to create the string bikini , and allowed Rudi Gernreich to create the topless monokini. Alternative swimwear fabrics such as velvet , leather , and crocheted squares surfaced in
1586-553: A major component of marketing various women's sports . It is an official uniform for beach volleyball and is widely worn in athletics and other sports. Sports bikinis have gained popularity since the 1990s. However, the trend has raised significant criticism in recent years among people who view it as an attempt to sell sex. Female swimmers do not commonly wear bikinis in competitive swimming. The International Swimming Federation (FINA) voted to prohibit female swimmers from racing in bikinis in its meeting at Rome in 1960. In 1994,
1708-581: A mural from the Chalcolithic era (around 5600 BC) in Çatalhöyük , Anatolia depicts a mother goddess astride two leopards wearing a costume somewhat like a bikini. The two-piece swimsuit can be traced back to the Greco-Roman world , where bikini-like garments worn by women athletes are depicted on urns and paintings dating back to 1400 BC. In Coronation of the Winner, a mosaic in
1830-521: A photo shoot involving 3,090 women. " Beijing bikini " refers to the Chinese urban practice of men rolling up their shirts to expose their midriff to cool off in public in the summer. In Japan, wearing a bikini is common on the beach and at baths or pools. But, according to a 2013 study, 94% women are not body confident enough to wear a bikini in public without resorting to sarongs , zip-up sweatshirts , T-shirts, or shorts. Japanese women also often wear
1952-531: A skimpy garment. It was a state of mind. Lena Lenček Despite the garment's initial success in France, women worldwide continued to wear traditional one-piece swimsuits. When his sales stalled, Réard went back to designing and selling orthodox knickers. In 1950, American swimsuit mogul Fred Cole, owner of mass market swimwear firm Cole of California, told Time that he had "little but scorn for France's famed Bikinis." Réard himself would later describe it as
2074-461: A two-piece swimsuit design in Paris that he called the atome , after the smallest known particle of matter. He announced that it was the "world's smallest bathing suit." Although briefer than the two-piece swimsuits of the 1930s, the bottom of Heim's new two-piece beach costume still covered the wearer's navel. Soon after, Louis Réard created a competing two-piece swimsuit design, which he called
2196-578: A two-piece swimsuit design that he named the Atome ('Atom') and advertised as "the smallest swimsuit in the world". Like swimsuits of the era, it covered the wearer's belly button, and it failed to attract much attention. French automotive engineer Louis Réard introduced a design he named the "Bikini", adopting the name from the Bikini Atoll in the Pacific Ocean, which was the colonial name
2318-578: A variety of men's and women's underwear types are described as bikini underwear. The bikini has gradually gained wide acceptance in Western society . By the early 2000s, bikinis had become a US$ 811 million business annually, and boosted spin off services such as bikini waxing and sun tanning . While the two-piece swimsuit as a design existed in classical antiquity , the modern design first attracted public notice in Paris on July 5, 1946. In May 1946, Parisian fashion designer Jacques Heim released
2440-524: A variety of swimwear including the monokini (also known as a numokini or unikini), seekini, tankini , camikini, hikini (also hipkini), minikini, face-kini , burkini , and microkini . The Language Report , compiled by lexicographer Susie Dent and published by the Oxford University Press (OUP) in 2003, considers lexicographic inventions like bandeaukini and camkini, two variants of the tankini, important to observe. Although "bikini"
2562-538: A young girl who is too shy to wear her new bikini on the beach, thinking it too risqué. Playboy first featured a bikini on its cover in 1962; the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue debut two years later featured Babette March in a white bikini on the cover. This has been credited with making the bikini a legitimate piece of clothing. Ursula Andress , appearing as Honey Ryder in the 1962 British James Bond film, Dr. No , wore
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#17327980204472684-564: Is a women's semi-professional indoor American football league operating in the United States. The league was originally founded in 2009 as the Lingerie Football League ( LFL ), and later rebranded as the Legends Football League in 2013. On December 13, 2019, the league announced that it would not be holding a 2020 season and that it had instead restructured under its current name, placing new teams mostly in
2806-531: The 2000 Summer Olympics amid some criticism. It was the fifth largest television audience of all the sports at the 2000 Games. Much of the interest was because of the sex appeal of bikini-clad players along with their athletic ability. Bikini-clad dancers and cheerleaders entertain the audience during match breaks in many beach volleyball tournaments, including the Olympics. Even indoor volleyball costumes followed suit to become smaller and tighter. However,
2928-655: The Abbotsford Entertainment & Sports Centre and competed in the Western Division of LFL Canada. On February 20, 2012, the LFL announced that the franchise would be named the BC Angels following the results of an online fan vote. The decision for Abbotsford to host a team sparked some controversy, including expressed concern from at least one city councilor, as "Abbotsford is a deeply religious agricultural community." On February 22, 2012,
3050-669: The Calgary Fillies ; their home games would be played at the Stampede Corral . Meanwhile, the Toronto Triumph suspended operations for the 2013 season, bringing the number of LFL Canada teams back to four. On September 16, 2013, the LFL then postponed the entire 2013 LFL Canada season until 2014. However, the BC Angels were expected to participate in the second-annual Pacific Cup, an exhibition game between
3172-614: The Cedar Park Center and the name was announced as the Austin Acoustic . On November 2, it was announced that Dallas , Texas, would rejoin the league in 2016 after being on hiatus since the end of the 2010–2011 season, retaining the Dallas Desire name, at Dr Pepper Arena . The Las Vegas Sin then suspended operations. A team was also added for New England bringing the league's total to eight teams. During
3294-553: The Chicago Blitz defeated the Atlanta Empire in the first X Cup championship game, 19–12. Bikini#Beach volleyball A bikini is a two-piece swimsuit primarily worn by women that features one piece on top that covers the breasts , and a second piece on the bottom: the front covering the pelvis but usually exposing the navel , and the back generally covering the intergluteal cleft and some or all of
3416-678: The Ladies Gridiron League , originally a subsidiary of the LFL now operating as its own league. In the 2013 offseason, the LFL announced that the Philadelphia Passion and Minnesota Valkyrie had suspended operations for the 2014 LFL US season. It was also announced that the Cleveland Crush were moving to Toledo, Ohio , and play its home games at the Huntington Center . On September 16, 2015, Austin, Texas , received an expansion team for 2016 to play at
3538-638: The Palacio de los Deportes in Mexico City ; the Western Conference defeated the Eastern Conference, 37–7. The second match of the "2012 LFL All-Fantasy Tour" took place in Brisbane , Australia, on June 2, 2012, at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre ; the Western Conference again emerged victorious, this time by a 45–36 score. The Western Conference took a 3–0 series sweep with
3660-675: The Pro Football Hall of Fame . Samantha Gordon was also named an owner in May 2022. The league is scheduled for return in 2026, in a hybrid format of tackle and flag football . The concept of the league originated from an alternative Super Bowl halftime television special called the Lingerie Bowl , a pay-per-view event broadcast opposite the Super Bowl halftime show. In 2009, league chairman Mitch Mortaza expanded
3782-570: The Rio Carnival , Brazil in a golden bikini, starting the bikini tradition of the carnival. In Europe, 17-year-old Brigitte Bardot wore scanty bikinis (by contemporary standards) in the French film Manina, la fille sans voiles ("Manina, the girl unveiled"). The promotion for the film, released in France in March 1953, drew more attention to Bardot's bikinis than to the film itself. By the time
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3904-610: The Saskatoon Sirens and the BC Angels at the Abbotsford Entertainment & Sports Centre in Abbotsford, British Columbia . The BC Angels won the inaugural championship game 25–12 with BC Angels' quarterback Mary Anne Hanson and receiver Aleesa Garcia named as the game's MVPs. On December 15, 2012, the first annual Pacific Cup was played between the Seattle Mist of LFL US and the BC Angels of LFL Canada. Dubbed
4026-793: The Seattle Mist beat the Atlanta Steam 38–28 in the Legends Cup, played at the Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, California , to cap off their perfect 6–0 season to go with their second LFL title. The 2019 season was the tenth and final season of the Legends Football League. It began April 5 and concluded on August 10. Following a regular season reduced to two games per team,
4148-550: The Toronto Triumph who began play in LFL United States, LFL Canada's other five markets would consist of Vancouver , Calgary , Edmonton , Quebec City , and Montreal ; ironically, none of those five markets would actually get an LFL franchise. On February 9, 2012, the LFL announced that Abbotsford, British Columbia , would be the next Canadian city to host a team in the League. The franchise played its home games at
4270-536: The bikini . He noticed that women at the beach rolled up the edges of their swimsuit bottoms and tops to improve their tan. On 5 July, Réard introduced his design at a swimsuit review held at a popular Paris public pool, Piscine Molitor , four days after the first test of a US nuclear weapon at the Bikini Atoll . The newspapers were full of news about it and Réard hoped for the same with his design. Réard's bikini undercut Heim's atome in its brevity. His design consisted of two side-by-side triangles of fabric forming
4392-411: The buttocks . The size of the top and bottom can vary, from bikinis that offer full coverage of the breasts, pelvis, and buttocks, to more revealing designs with a thong or G-string bottom that covers only the mons pubis , but exposes the buttocks, and a top that covers only the areolae . Bikini bottoms covering about half the buttocks may be described as "Brazilian-cut". The modern bikini swimsuit
4514-460: The "comparison of the effects of a scantily clad woman to the atomic bomb," and the idea that Reard's design had out-done Heim's design and "split the atome ". Réard's advertising slogan was that the Bikini was "smaller than the smallest bathing suit in the world." The swimsuit's name was typically capitalized for several years after its coining. It has been frequently cited as a major example of
4636-543: The 'Border War', the game was hosted by the Seattle Mist at the ShoWare Center in Kent, Washington , with home venues alternating each season. The league delayed the next LFL US season from fall/winter 2012 to April 2013 in order to shift to a spring/summer schedule and to focus on the 2012 LFL Canada season. On June 27, 2013, the 2013 LFL Canada schedule was released. LFL Canada accepted one proposed expansion team,
4758-495: The 18th century was a loose ankle-length full-sleeve chemise -type gown made of wool or flannel that retained coverage and modesty. In 1907, Australian swimmer and performer Annette Kellermann was arrested on a Boston beach for wearing form-fitting sleeveless one-piece knitted swimming tights that covered her from neck to toe, a costume she adopted from England, although it became accepted swimsuit attire for women in parts of Europe by 1910. In 1913, designer Carl Jantzen made
4880-420: The 1950s, Hollywood stars such as Ava Gardner , Rita Hayworth , Lana Turner , Elizabeth Taylor , Tina Louise , Marilyn Monroe , Esther Williams , and Betty Grable took advantage of the risqué publicity associated with the bikini by posing for photographs wearing them— pin-ups of Hayworth and Williams in costume were especially widely distributed in the United States. In 1950, Elvira Pagã walked at
5002-615: The 2019 season, but planned a 2020 return before the entire league essentially ceased operations in December 2019. This American football team article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This Pittsburgh -related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article about a sports team in Pennsylvania is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Legends Football League The Extreme Football League ( X League )
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5124-594: The Adelaide Arsenal, with home games to be played at the Coopers Stadium . However, on September 29, the 2014–2015 season was cancelled due to the lack of a broadcast partner with competition planned to resume in 2015–2016 including an expansion into New Zealand. In February 2015, it was revealed that the players and coaches had actually left after disputes and issues with LFL management, namely commissioner Mortaza. Players and coaches left and joined
5246-726: The Angels and LFL US's Seattle Mist scheduled for December 2013. On October 3, it was announced that the Angels would be replaced in the game by the LA Temptation, citing not enough preparation. The Pacific Cup was played at ShoWare Center on December 6, 2013. Several key players from the Angels joined the Mist while a few key players from Las Vegas Sin joined the Temptation. Following the two All-Fantasy games held in Australia in 2012, LFL Australia premiered in December 2013. Prior to
5368-527: The Cleveland Crush stated, "Just because we play in the LFL does not mean we promote promiscuity. We are smart females. We are athletes who take care of our bodies. We are the total package." Similarly, Toledo Crush player Marija Condric stated, "Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Sit down and watch. You'll forget what we are wearing and you will be thinking about how hard that girl got hit on that last play." Other players are quoted as viewing
5490-627: The Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, "The bikini represents a social leap involving body consciousness, moral concerns, and sexual attitudes." By the early 2000s, bikinis had become a $ 811 million business annually, according to the NPD Group , a consumer and retail information company, and had boosted spin-off services like bikini waxing and the sun tanning industries. The first bikini museum in
5612-469: The FIVB's mandating of the bikini ran into problems. Some sports officials consider it exploitative and impractical in colder weather. It also drew the ire of some athletes. At the 2006 Asian Games at Doha, Qatar, only one Muslim country – Iraq – fielded a team in the beach volleyball competition because of concerns that the uniform was inappropriate. They refused to wear bikinis. The weather during
5734-579: The Germans gave to the atoll, borrowed from the Marshallese name for the island, Pikinni . Four days earlier, the United States had initiated its first peacetime nuclear weapons test at Bikini Atoll as part of Operation Crossroads . Unlike the prior Trinity test , or most subsequent nuclear test series, the United States allowed both international observers and the global press to observe Crossroads, creating an intense international interest in
5856-467: The LFL Australia season. A team must attempt to get a first down on every fourth down, or they risk a turnover. After a touchdown , a team can attempt a one-point conversion from the one-yard line, or a two-point conversion from the three-yard line. Since 2015, teams are given the option to punt if within their own 10 yard line; the ball is placed on the 15 or wherever it went out of bounds if
5978-576: The LFL announced that Regina, Saskatchewan , would be the next Canadian city to host a team in the League. Home games would be played at the Brandt Centre . On March 6, the LFL announced that the franchise would be named the Regina Rage after an online fan vote. Six days later, on February 28, the LFL announced that Saskatoon , Saskatchewan, would join Regina as LFL Canada's second team in
6100-400: The LFL players had a background in other competitive athletics at the college and semiprofessional level, as well as some experience in tackle football from playing in other semiprofessional leagues. The initial uniforms consisted of shoulder pads, elbow pads, knee pads, performance wear, and ice hockey -style helmets with clear plastic visors in lieu of face masks. The original uniforms of
6222-766: The LFL postponed the entire 2013 LFL Canada season until 2014 with plans to merge the US, Canada, and Mexico teams into a single league called LFL North America. The LFL then formed another league in Australia in December 2013 and played one season. LFL Australia's debut season in the beginning of 2014 marked the debut of the new performance wear uniforms. The LFL planned to launch a fourth global league – LFL Europa – in 2015 with teams in Dublin (Ireland), Manchester (England), Düsseldorf and Hamburg (Germany). Barcelona (Spain) and Frankfurt (Germany) had previously been mentioned as potential franchise cities. With four global leagues,
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#17327980204476344-547: The Latin prefix " bi- " (meaning "two" in Latin), the word bikini was first back-derived as consisting of two parts, [ bi + kini ] by Rudi Gernreich , who introduced the monokini in 1964. Later swimsuit designs like the tankini and trikini further cemented this derivation. Over time the " –kini family" (as dubbed by author William Safire ), including the " –ini sisters" (as dubbed by designer Anne Cole ), expanded into
6466-425: The Lingerie Football League consisted of an athletic bra and underwear that were more revealing than protective, as well as added lace, ribbons, and garters as decoration. While these uniforms were routinely criticized by media, players' reactions were typically mixed on the use of the uniforms, comparing the similarities in coverage to track and field uniforms or beach volleyball bikinis . After three seasons,
6588-444: The New York Majesty and Denver Dream suspended operations. The 2011 Lingerie Bowl was held in Las Vegas , Nevada, on February 6, 2011. The Western Conference champion Los Angeles Temptation defeated Eastern Conference champion Philadelphia Passion, 26–25. The 2011 All-Fantasy Game was held in Hamilton, Ontario , on July 30, 2011, at Copps Coliseum . Trailing 18–6 in the second half, the Eastern Conference rallied to win, 24–18, over
6710-423: The United States War Production Board issued Regulation L-85, cutting the use of natural fibers in clothing and mandating a 10% reduction in the amount of fabric in women's beachwear. To comply with the regulations, swimsuit manufacturers removed skirt panels and other attachments, while increasing production of the two-piece swimsuit with bare midriffs. At the same time, demand for all swimwear declined as there
6832-604: The West. Chicago and Seattle won their Conference Championships and advanced to the Legends Cup in a rematch of both the previous championship and a meeting earlier in the season though with the opposite result of those two prior matches. The season ended on August 27, 2016, with the Chicago Bliss defeating the Seattle Mist 31–26 to win their third Legends Cup . The championship game was played at WestWorld in Scottsdale, Arizona . The 2017 season began with new teams at Pittsburgh and Denver replacing New England and Dallas. Three teams (Chicago, Los Angeles, and Seattle) completed
6954-751: The Western Conference. Anonka Dixon, quarterback for the Orlando Fantasy, was awarded offensive MVP for her 3 touchdown passes and game-winning rushing touchdown, while Liz Gorman, a safety with the Tampa Breeze, was named defensive MVP. The LFL accepted five expansion franchises – the Cleveland Crush , Green Bay Chill , Las Vegas Sin , Minnesota Valkyrie , and Toronto Triumph , while the Dallas Desire , San Diego Seduction , and Miami Caliente suspended operations. The season kicked off on August 26, 2011, and culminated with Lingerie Bowl IX on February 4, 2012. The LFL Eastern and Western Conference championship games were played back-to-back on January 28, 2012, at Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, California . For
7076-465: The Wheat Province. Home games would be played at the Credit Union Centre . Upon releasing the Saskatoon Sirens ' logo and colors, the league announced that LFL Canada was set at four teams for the 2012 season, with the league playing an eight-game schedule, scheduled to end with Lingerie Bowl I Canada the week before the Grey Cup. The 2012 LFL Canada season began on August 25, 2012, and culminated with Lingerie Bowl Canada I on November 17, 2012, between
7198-430: The [atom] bomb, the bikini is small and devastating". Fashion writer Diana Vreeland described the bikini as the "atom bomb of fashion". Bernardini received 50,000 fan letters, many of them from men. Photographs of Bernardini and articles about the event were widely carried by the press. The International Herald Tribune alone ran nine stories on the event. French newspaper Le Figaro wrote, "People were craving
7320-399: The adolescent boutique fashions of the 1960s, allowing those to be minimal. DuPont introduced lycra (DuPont's name for spandex ) in the same decade. Spandex expanded the range of novelty fabrics available to designers which meant suits could be made to fit like a second skin without heavy linings. "The advent of Lycra allowed more women to wear a bikini," wrote Kelly Killoren Bensimon ,
7442-408: The announced LFL Australia expansion. For the 2011–12 LFL United States season , the All-Fantasy Game was played in Hamilton, Ontario . This was due in part to the league's announcement that in 2012 there would be a Canadian Lingerie Football League. LFL Canada was originally scheduled for a twelve-week season with teams in six markets. On September 28, 2011, it was announced that, in addition to
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#17327980204477564-403: The beach and initially sold more swimsuits, it was Réard's description of the two-piece swimsuit as a bikini that stuck. As competing designs emerged, he declared in advertisements that a swimsuit could not be a genuine bikini "unless it could be pulled through a wedding ring." Modern bikinis were first made of cotton and jersey . As subsequent history would show, the bikini was more than
7686-409: The beachwear capital of the world, with Bardot identified as the original Cannes bathing beauty. Bardot's photography helped to enhance the public profile of the festival, and Cannes in turn played a crucial role in her career. Brian Hyland 's novelty-song hit " Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini " became a Billboard No. 1 hit during the summer of 1960: the song tells a story about
7808-419: The bikini became the official uniform of women's Olympic beach volleyball . In 1999, the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) standardized beach volleyball uniforms, with the bikini becoming the required uniform for women. That regulation bottom is called a "bun-hugger", and players names are often written on the back of the bottom. The uniform made its Olympic debut at Bondi Beach , Sydney during
7930-416: The bikini still sold well throughout the mid to late 20th century. The bikini gained increased exposure and acceptance as film stars like Brigitte Bardot , Raquel Welch , and Ursula Andress wore it and were photographed on public beaches and seen in film. The minimalist bikini design became common in most Western countries by the mid-1960s as both swimwear and underwear . By the late 20th century, it
8052-413: The bikini was explicitly banned from many other beauty pageants worldwide. Although some regarded the bikini and beauty contests as bringing freedom to women, they were opposed by some feminists as well as religious and cultural groups who objected to the degree of exposure of the female body. Paula Stafford was an Australian fashion designer credited with introducing the bikini to Australia; in
8174-535: The body through the 1930s, with shoulder straps that could be lowered for tanning. Women's swimwear of the 1930s and 1940s incorporated increasing degrees of midriff exposure . The 1932 Hollywood film Three on a Match featured a midriff-baring two-piece bathing suit. Actress Dolores del Río was the first major star to wear a two-piece women's bathing suit onscreen in Flying Down to Rio (1933). Teen magazines of late 1940s and 1950s featured similar designs of midriff-baring suits and tops. However, midriff fashion
8296-440: The concept from a single annual exhibition game to a ten-team league, branded as the Lingerie Football League , or LFL . The league operated on a similar schedule to the National Football League (NFL), playing in fall and winter and played most of its games indoors with similar rules to indoor football . Many of the teams were coached by former NFL players and coaches who were already well known in their respective cities. Many of
8418-401: The display of navels in Hollywood films. The National Legion of Decency , a Roman Catholic body overseeing American media content, also pressured Hollywood and foreign film producers to keep bikinis from being featured in Hollywood movies. As late as 1959 one of the United States' largest swimsuit designers, Anne Cole of the Anne Cole brand, said, "It's nothing more than a G-string. It's at
8540-407: The early '70s. Réard's company folded in 1988, four years after his death. Meanwhile, the bikini had become the most popular beachwear around the globe. According to French fashion historian Olivier Saillard, this was due to "the power of women, and not the power of fashion". By 1988 the bikini made up nearly 20% of swimsuit sales, more than any other model in the US, though one-piece suits made
8662-407: The fabrics and other materials used to make bikinis are an essential element of their design. Modern bikinis were first made of cotton and jersey, but in the 1960s, Lycra became the common material. Alternative swimwear fabrics such as velvet, leather, and crocheted squares surfaced in the early 1970s. In a single fashion show in 1985, there were two-piece suits with cropped tank tops instead of
8784-596: The film was released in the United States in 1958, it was re-titled Manina, the Girl in the Bikini . Bardot was also photographed wearing a bikini on the beach during the 1957 Cannes Film Festival . Working with her husband and agent Roger Vadim , she garnered significant attention with photographs of her wearing a bikini on every beach in the south of France. Similar photographs were taken of Anita Ekberg and Sophia Loren , among others. According to The Guardian , Bardot's photographs in particular turned Saint-Tropez into
8906-658: The first Indian actress to wear a bikini on film. She also posed in a bikini for the glossy Filmfare magazine. The costume shocked a conservative Indian audience, but it also set in motion a trend carried forward by Zeenat Aman in Heera Panna (1973) and Qurbani (1980), Dimple Kapadia in Bobby (1973), and Parveen Babi in Yeh Nazdeekiyan (1982). Indonesian actress Nurnaningsih 's bikini clad photos were widely distributed in early 1950s, though she
9028-462: The first X Cup title on September 10 when they defeated the Atlanta Empire . The league did not announce plans for a 2023 season and later updated their website with plans to announce a 2024 schedule in October 2023. This was later updated again to indicate a 2025 schedule, to be announced October 15, 2024. The schedule would be pushed back and finally released on November 21, 2024 which revealed
9150-437: The first bikini-clad Arab model on the cover of an Arabic magazine. Lebanese-Australian fashion designer Aheda Zanetti created the " burkini " as a modest option to the bikini, which has become very popular among Muslims. Rehab Shaaban, an Egyptian designer, tried an even more abaya -like design, but her design was banned due to safety reasons. While the name "bikini" was at first applied only to beachwear that revealed
9272-432: The first functional two-piece swimwear. Inspired by the introduction of females into Olympic swimming he designed a close-fitting costume with shorts for the bottom and short sleeves for the top. During the 1920s and 1930s, people began to shift from "taking in the water" to "taking in the sun", at bathhouses and spas, and swimsuit designs shifted from functional considerations to incorporate more decorative features. Rayon
9394-632: The floor of a Roman villa in Sicily that dates from the Diocletian period (286–305 AD), young women participate in weightlifting, discus throwing, and running ball games dressed in bikini-like garments (technically bandeaukinis in modern lexicon). The mosaic, found in the Sicilian Villa Romana del Casale , features ten maidens who have been anachronistically dubbed the " Bikini Girls ". Other Roman archaeological finds depict
9516-573: The football field. You take beach volleyball, you take volleyball, you take other sports where it's pretty much the same thing." Adrian Purnell of the Jacksonville Breeze said that the outfits were only for marketing purposes. Heather Furr, a quarterback for the Chicago Bliss said "I think with little girls watching the game ... if they can see past the uniform and see us as role models, then that's what I want." Abbie Sullivan of
9638-462: The game and advances to the next round or wins the championship. Teams get two timeouts per half or overtime period. The league was met with criticism throughout its existence. Critics say the league degrades female athletes through "pernicious objectification". The uniforms received extensive criticism for their revealing nature. In an ESPN article, Sarah Spain, the co-host of espnW, wrote, "After watching these women play, I can honestly say I respect
9760-591: The goddess Venus in a similar garment. In Pompeii , depictions of Venus wearing a bikini were discovered in the Casa della Venere, in the tablinum of the House of Julia Felix , and in an atrium garden of Via Dell'Abbondanza . Swimming or bathing outdoors was discouraged in the Christian West , so there was little demand or need for swimming or bathing costumes until the 18th century. The bathing gown of
9882-573: The heck out of them as athletes, but I'll still never respect the Lingerie Football League, no matter what name they give it." LFL players with experience in track and field competitions noted that the typical LFL uniform is comparable to other uniforms, with Elizabeth Govrick of the Minnesota Valkyrie stating she "ran track and I was wearing, you know, stuff if not close to almost smaller than what I'm wearing out on
10004-477: The league announced intentions to compete in a LFL World Bowl in São Paulo in 2015. By July 2014, the league planned a three leagues: LFL Americas, LFL Europa, and LFL Oceania. On June 10, 2015, the LFL announced that there would be no international play through at least 2017 with sole focus on growing the league in the US, the exception being international exhibition games to introduce prospective countries to
10126-570: The league announced it was adding a companion league in Canada that began play in August 2012. It then pushed back the US season to 2013 on a spring and summer schedule, mirroring other indoor football leagues. During the hiatus, the league announced it would change its name to the Legends Football League , retaining the LFL initials, on January 10, 2013. The league also announced that the athletes would wear "performance apparel" instead of lingerie, but
10248-538: The league announced that it would not be producing a 2020 season and would re-evaluate markets in the future. Four days later, the LFL was restructured into the Extreme Football League, which was announced to begin play in April 2020. The league size remained at eight teams, which initially were all in the same markets as the former LFL teams, but under new team identities. The Nashville Knights were
10370-469: The league responded by claiming that fines were given because the equipment worn was in direct conflict with the league's sponsored gear. The league also prohibited players from commenting on personnel matters, a rule that prompted the vast majority of the Toronto Triumph , including team captain Krista Ford , to quit in protest in October 2011. Originally a professional league with players receiving
10492-463: The league's intentions to return in 2026. Playing style is full-contact and similar to other indoor football leagues. There are seven players from each team on the field during play. The field is 50 yards between end zones , 30 yards wide, and the end zones are 8 yards deep, roughly the same as other indoor leagues. Many fields are just over 28 yards wide, as games are often played in converted National Hockey League -sized rinks (85 feet wide), with
10614-521: The league, with plans on expanding into 24 US markets. The season was ultimately cancelled on May 18, 2021, pushing the league's relaunch to the summer of 2022 due to the pandemic. The 2022 season began on June 10 with the Chicago Blitz facing the Kansas City Force . After a nine-week regular season with a total of seven games, four teams advanced to the playoffs, with the Blitz capturing
10736-416: The league. The LFL announced new uniforms with new colors for the 2016 season. Numbers and logos were printed on the uniform as opposed to previously being sewn on. In addition, the league also announced that teams would have a choice of camouflage or black alternates. In 2017, the league also added a long pants uniform in lieu of the regular bikini bottom for the final home games. On December 13, 2019,
10858-549: The movie Beach Party , starring Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon , led a wave of films that made the bikini a pop-culture symbol, though Funicello was barred from wearing Réard's bikini unlike the other young females in the films. In 1965, a woman told Time that it was "almost square" not to wear a bikini; the magazine wrote two years later that "65% of the young set had already gone over". Raquel Welch 's fur bikini in One Million Years B.C. (1966) gave
10980-401: The new weapon and its testing. Réard never explained why he chose the name "Bikini" for the swimsuit. Various motivations have been attributed to his choosing of the name, including the idea that he hoped it would create "explosive commercial and cultural reaction" similar to the explosion at Bikini Atoll, that it was meant to be associated with the "exotic allure of the tropical Pacific", from
11102-493: The only team listed in the X League announcement to not change names, but they were replaced by the Kansas City Force in January 2020. As part of the league restructuring, it began offering ownership stakes to its players and coaches based on the individuals contributions and commitment to the organization, as well as revenue distribution program for merchandise featuring an individual player's likeness. The league also said it
11224-713: The other four teams in their conference. The top two teams in each conference advanced to the conference championship games held on February 4, 2010, in Miami, and the conference champions played in Lingerie Bowl VII on February 6, 2010. The Western Conference Los Angeles Temptation defeated the Eastern Conference Chicago Bliss by the score of 27–14. For the 2010–2011 season, the LFL added new franchises in Orlando and Baltimore , while
11346-587: The playing a game, the LFL's deal with the Ladies Gridiron League (LGL) fell through and the LGL no longer served as a minor league to the LFL. The New South Wales Surge, Queensland Brigade, Victoria Maidens, and Western Australia Angels participated in the inaugural 2013–14 LFL Australia season. The LFL Australia Legends Cup was played on February 8, 2014, at nib Stadium in Perth , Western Australia. On March 23, 2014, LFL Australia accepted one proposed expansion team,
11468-402: The plexiglass removed, dasher boards padded, and ice surfaces covered with artificial turf. There are no kickoffs , except the option for an on-side kick should the game be close near the end, nor field goals ; halves and after scores begin on team's own 15-yard line. Kicking off after every scoring drive was added before the 2013 Pacific Cup, but was removed shortly after the first game of
11590-453: The punt is not returned. A game consists of four ten-minute quarters and a 12-minute halftime (30-minute halftime in championship). In the event of a tie, an extra 8 minute sudden death period is played; whoever scores first wins the game. If still tied, the game ends as a draw, and counts as tie for both teams in the standings. In postseason games, multiple 10-minute sudden death overtime periods are played until one team scores, which wins
11712-530: The razor's edge of decency." The Hays Code was abandoned by the mid-1960s, and with it the prohibition of female navel exposure, as well as other restrictions. The influence of the National Legion of Decency also waned by the 1960s. Increasingly common glamour shots of popular actresses and models on either side of the Atlantic played a large part in bringing the bikini into the mainstream. During
11834-778: The regular season with perfect 4–0 records, a first in LFL history. Chicago and Atlanta advanced to the playoffs from the East while Seattle and Los Angeles advanced in the West. Atlanta upset Chicago in the Eastern Conference Championship, their first victory against the Bliss following seven consecutive defeats. In a war of unbeatens, Seattle bested Los Angeles in the Western Conference Championship. The season ended on September 3, 2017, as
11956-463: The same locations as the 2019 LFL season. The league also did not operate during 2021, amid the COVID-19 pandemic . The X League's eight-team 2022 season spanned June to September, concluding with the restructured league's inaugural championship, the X Cup, won by the Chicago Blitz . Since 2021, the league is owned by Mike Ditka , a former National Football League (NFL) player and an inductee of
12078-414: The season, New England was forced to forfeit its final game as injuries caused the team to have below the minimum number of players needed to field a team. Seattle won a three-way tie with Dallas and Los Angeles for the best record in the Western Conference while Chicago had the best record in the Eastern Conference. Chicago and Atlanta advanced to the playoffs in the East while Seattle and Dallas advanced in
12200-590: The second straight year, the Los Angeles Temptation won the Western Conference championship while the Philadelphia Passion won the Eastern Conference championship, setting up a rematch in the 2012 Lingerie Bowl of the previous year's championship game. The 2012 Lingerie Bowl was played at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas , in the afternoon prior to the start of Super Bowl XLVI . The Los Angeles Temptation won its third consecutive Lingerie Bowl with
12322-402: The simple pleasures of the sea and the sun. For women, wearing a bikini signaled a kind of second liberation. There was really nothing sexual about this. It was instead a celebration of freedom and a return to the joys in life." Heim's atome was more in keeping with the sense of propriety of the 1940s, but Réard's design won the public's attention. Although Heim's design was the first worn on
12444-408: The spectacle, referred to it as Miss World , a name Morley registered as a trademark. The winner was Kiki Håkansson of Sweden, who was crowned in a bikini. After the crowning, Håkansson was condemned by Pope Pius XII , while Spain and Ireland threatened to withdraw from the pageant. In 1952, bikinis were banned from the pageant and replaced by evening gowns . As a result of the controversy,
12566-509: The uniforms as a necessary evil, with one saying, "Maybe one day, girls won't have to wear lingerie to get people interested [in women's football]." Liz Gorman, a player with the Jacksonville Breeze, stated she would rather wear a conventional uniform: "I mean, I don't like it. You'd rather wear full clothing. I have a bunch of scrapes on me." The league was accused in its earlier years of fining players for wearing too many clothes, as well as not paying medical bills for injured players. However,
12688-518: The uniforms as the originals were too heavy on sex appeal, initially dropping the ribbons and garters. The league designed new ones for the 2014 season closer to more traditional activewear , resembling uniforms similar to volleyball players, replacing the ribbons with shoelaces on the front of the top and bottom. The LFL then began looking into a Latin American league with six franchises throughout Mexico, Brazil, and Argentina. On September 16, 2013,
12810-483: The uniforms covered very little skin, the players are more susceptible to injury. Ex-lingerie football player Nikki Johnson was one of the many players who experienced injuries in her time in the league including injuries sustained from hard hits and a broken wrist that required surgery. Ten teams played in the inaugural 2009–2010 LFL season . The league schedule ran from September 4, 2009, to January 29, 2010, with one game each Friday. Teams played one game each against
12932-464: The uniforms look very much the same as before. In addition to the new uniforms, redesigned shoulder pads were introduced to provide more protection for players. Other league changes included eliminating images of sexy women from team logos and changing the league tagline from "True Fantasy Football" to "Women of the Gridiron". Along with the rebrand of the league in 2013, the league also began changing
13054-415: The usual skimpy bandeaux, suits that resembled bikinis from the front and one-pieces from the back, suspender straps , ruffles , and deep navel-baring cutouts. Metal and stone jewelry pieces are now often used to dress up look and style according to tastes. To meet the fast pace of demands, some manufacturers now offer made-to-order bikinis ready in as few as seven minutes. The world's most expensive bikini
13176-421: The wearer's navel, today the fashion industry considers any two-piece swimsuit a bikini. Modern bikini fashions are characterized by a simple, brief design: two triangles of fabric that form a bra and cover the woman's breasts and a third that forms a panty cut below the navel that covers the groin and the intergluteal cleft . Bikinis can and have been made out of almost every possible clothing material, and
13298-502: The winter, the honeymoon season. For more coverage, designers Shivan Bhatiya and Narresh Kukreja invented the bikini- saree popularised by TV anchor Mandira Bedi . By the end of the first decade of the 21st century, the Chinese bikini industry became a serious international threat for the Brazilian bikini industry. Huludao , Liaoning , China set the world record for the largest bikini parade in 2012, with 1,085 participants and
13420-538: The world is being built in Bad Rappenau in Germany. The development of swimwear from 1880 to the present is presented on 2,000 square metres of exhibition space. By 2017, the global swimwear market was valued at US$ 18,5 billion with a compound annual growth rate of 6.2%. Part of the increased consumption of bikinis and swimwears can be attributed to influencers who promote and endorse various brands around
13542-461: The world the most iconic bikini shot of all time and the poster image became an iconic moment in cinema history. Her deer skin bikini in One Million Years B.C. , advertised as "mankind's first bikini", (1966) was later described as a "definitive look of the 1960s". Her role wearing the leather bikini made Welch a fashion icon and the photo of her in the bikini became a best-selling pinup poster. Stretch nylon bikini briefs and bras complemented
13664-505: The year. Soccer player and best selling author Mo Isom describes it as, "We're flooded with Instagram bikini pics." It was estimated in 2016 that in 2019 the USA would be the largest swimwear market (US$ 10 billion), followed by Europe (US$ 5 billion), Asia–Pacific (US$ 4 billion) and Middle East and Africa (about 1 billion). The 1967 Bollywood film An Evening in Paris is mostly remembered because it featured actress Sharmila Tagore as
13786-432: Was banned from beaches and other public places: in 1949, France banned the bikini from being worn on its coastlines; Germany banned the bikini from public swimming pools until the 1970s, and some communist groups condemned the bikini as a "capitalist decadence". The bikini also faced criticism from some feminists, who reviled it as a garment designed to suit men's tastes, and not those of women. Despite this backlash, however,
13908-651: Was banned in Kalimantan . Indian women generally wear bikinis when they vacation abroad or in Goa without the family. But, despite the conservative ideas prevalent in India, bikinis also become more popular in summer when women, from Bollywood stars to the middle class, take up swimming, often in a public space. A lot of tankinis , shorts and single-piece swimsuits are sold in the summer, along with real bikinis and bandeaukinis . The maximum sales for bikinis happen in
14030-653: Was designed in February 2006 by Susan Rosen; containing 150 carats (30 g) of diamond, it was valued at £20 million. There is a range of distinct bikini styles available — string/tie-side bikinis , monokinis (topless or top and bottom connected), trikinis (three pieces instead of two), tankinis ( tank top , bikini bottom), camikinis ( camisole top , bikini bottom), bandeaukinis ( bandeau top, bikini bottom), skirtinis (bikini top, skirt bottom), microkinis, sling bikinis (or suspender bikinis), thong and g-string bikinis, and teardrop bikinis. Bikinis have become
14152-452: Was introduced by French clothing designer Louis Réard in July 1946, and was named after the Bikini Atoll , where the first public test of a nuclear bomb had taken place four days before. Due to its revealing design, the bikini was once considered controversial, facing opposition from a number of groups and being accepted only very slowly by the general public. In many countries, the design
14274-544: Was not much interest in going to the beach, especially in Europe. In the summer of 1946, Western Europeans enjoyed their first war-free summer in many years. French designers sought to deliver fashions that matched the liberated mood of the people. Fabric was still in short supply, and in an endeavor to resurrect swimwear sales, two French designers – Jacques Heim and Louis Réard – almost simultaneously launched new two-piece swimsuit designs in 1946. Heim launched
14396-507: Was originally a registered trademark of Réard, it has since become genericized . Variations of the term are used to describe stylistic variations for promotional purposes and industry classifications, including monokini, microkini , tankini , trikini , pubikini , bandeaukini and skirtini . A man's brief swimsuit may also be referred to as a bikini. Similarly, a variety of men's and women's underwear types are described as bikini underwear. According to archaeologist James Mellaart ,
14518-405: Was stated as only for beaches and informal events and considered indecent to be worn in public. Hollywood endorsed the new glamor in films like 1949's Neptune's Daughter in which Esther Williams wore provocatively named costumes such as "Double Entendre" and "Honey Child". Wartime production during World War II required vast amounts of cotton, silk, nylon, wool, leather, and rubber. In 1942,
14640-459: Was to use 70-yard fields in a press release, although this was never implemented. The league implements a new uniform with full pads. The league's first season was postponed to a scheduled start in June 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic . In May, it had been announced that it was postponed again to April 2021. During the hiatus, the league announced Mike Ditka had been named owner and chairman of
14762-402: Was used in the 1920s in the manufacture of tight-fitting swimsuits, but durability issues, especially when wet, proved problematic. Jersey and silk were also sometimes used. By the 1930s, manufacturers had lowered necklines in the back, removed sleeves, and tightened the sides. With the development of new clothing materials, particularly latex and nylon , swimsuits gradually began hugging
14884-441: Was widely used as sportswear in beach volleyball and bodybuilding . There are a number of modern stylistic variations of the design used for marketing purposes and as industry classifications, including monokini , microkini , tankini , trikini , pubikini , skirtini , thong , and g-string . A man's single piece brief swimsuit may also be called a bikini or "bikini brief", particularly if it has slimmer sides. Similarly,
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