【比基尼的起源和发展】

　　趣说比基尼

　　比基尼一般指女性游泳时穿着的泳衣，这一名称原指太平洋上的无人岛屿"比基尼岛"。

　　[早期的比基尼]

　　The earliest evidence of the bikini is found on Greek urns and paintings dating from 1400 BC, which feature pictures of women wearing a two-piece garment while playing sports. Its next surviving appearance is in a fourth century AD Roman mosaic discovered in Sicily.

　　最早的比基尼证据是公元前1400年开始在希腊墓穴和绘画中发现的，图案上的女性身穿两件式服装在进行体育运动。接下来，比基尼的存在体现在公元4世纪西西里岛的罗马镶嵌画中。

　　Fast forward a few thousand years to the early 1900s and women were very conservative with their swimwear. Bathing suits completely covered the legs, arms and torso. During the 1940s, women in Europe started to reveal skin as World War II rationing pushed manufacturers to reduce the amount of fabric they used to make swimsuits. But it wasn't until 1946 that things really began to heat up.

　　几千年过后的20世纪早期，女性对泳衣非常保守。泳衣完全遮盖了腿部、手臂和身体。20世纪40年代期间，欧洲女性开始显露皮肤，因为二战时的定量配给使得制造商减少了制作泳衣的面料用量。但是，直到1946年，比基尼热才开始真正升温。

　　Women waited years for a bikini and then two came along! Parisian designer Jacques Heim debuted the atome, the world's smallest swimsuit. That same year, Louis Reard, a Parisian engineer, unveiled an even smaller suit to the world - made from just 30 inches of fabric. Named after Bikini Atoll, the Pacific Ocean site famous as the site of the first atomic bomb test, Reard hoped his invention would be just as explosive.

　　女性等了多年比基尼，后来一并出来了两款！巴黎设计师雅克·埃姆设计出了首款比基尼"原子"，也是当时世界最小的泳衣。同年，巴黎工程师路易斯·雷尔德向世界公布了一款更小的泳衣——仅用了30英寸的面料。雷尔德将其命名为"比基尼岛"，希望他的发明像原子弹一样具有爆炸性。比基尼岛是太平洋上的一座岛屿，因首次试爆原子弹而闻名。

　　[明星'带火'比基尼]

　　Beaches across the world tried to ban the bikini - the revelation of a woman's belly button was considered scandalous, even in the Fifties. But Reard received 50,000 fan letters proving public opinion felt otherwise. Hollywood heavyweights Marilyn Monroe, Rita Hayworth and Bridget Bardot were soon pictured frolicking on many a beach in such a two-piece.

　　世界各地的沙滩曾试图禁止比基尼，因为女性露出肚脐被认为是可耻的，即使是在50年代。然而，雷尔德收到了来自5万名比基尼迷的来信，信中证实了公众的观念全然不同。好莱坞重量级人物玛丽莲·梦露、丽塔·海华斯和碧姬·芭铎不久被拍到身穿两件式泳衣在许多海滩上嬉戏。

　　In 1960, Bryan Hyland released the song Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini. Two years later, Ursula Andress emerged from the sea in a white belted bikini in Sean Connery's first James Bond movie, Dr. No, and an icon was born.

　　1960年，布莱恩·海兰德推出歌曲《黄色圆点花纹小小的比基尼》。两年后，乌苏拉·安德丝在肖恩·康纳利主演的首部邦德电影《诺博士》中身穿白色吊带比基尼从海面浮出，一个偶像从此诞生。

　　The more bikinis grew in popularity, the smaller they became. Even Victoria Beckham wasn't immune to the power of a bikini and, along with Steps and Destiny's Child, the Spice Girls chose bikini tops for many a performance in the Nineties.

　　随着比基尼越发流行，它们也变得越来越小。即使维多利亚·贝克汉姆也抵挡不住比基尼的魅力，辣妹组合以及Steps和天命真女组合在90年代的许多场演出中都曾选择比基尼文胸。

　　[比基尼流行的时代]

　　These days, you're not anyone unless you pose poolside in your bikini. Not a day goes by when a celebrity isn't pictured on the beach in theirs, from 25-year-old Taylor Swift to Dame Helen Mirren when she was in her 50s. 2013 will go down in history as the year Beyonce wore that yellow two-piece for an H&M ad campaign.

　　现在，除非你身穿比基尼在泳池边摆拍一张照，否则便不会成名。从25岁的泰勒·斯威夫特到50多岁还拍比基尼照的海伦·米伦夫人，没有哪一天没有名人身穿比基尼在沙滩上拍照的。2013年这一年也因碧昂斯身穿两件式黄色比基尼为H&M做广告活动而载入了史册。

　　【比基尼的文化含义】

　　比起其他服饰，比基尼更突出地超越了其本来的功能，成为一种文化概念的语言。

　　It took 15 years for the bikini to be accepted in the United States. In 1951 bikinis were banned from the Miss World Contest. In 1957, however, Brigitte Bardot's bikini in And God Created Woman created a market for the swimwear in the US, and by 1963, the movie Beach Party, starring Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon, led a wave of films that made the bikini a pop-culture symbol.

　　美国接受比基尼用了15年。1951年，比基尼在世界小姐选美比赛中被禁止。然而，在1957年，《上帝创造女人》中碧姬·芭杜的比基尼开拓了美国的泳衣市场，直到1963年，安妮特·富尼切洛和法兰基·阿瓦隆主演的电影《海滩派对》引领了一批电影热潮，使比基尼成为一种流行文化的象征。

　　People who are familiar with the history of Bikini Atoll may find the etymology and use of the word "bikini" for a garment as inappropriate, as its tongue-in-cheek "explosive" reputation effectively reduces the significance of a serious humanitarian crisis to a mere popular culture sex symbol in the minds of most people.

　　熟悉比基尼岛历史的人可能会觉得这一语源以及将"比基尼"一词用作服饰不大合适，因为其玩笑式的"爆炸性"名声有效降低了严肃的人道主义危机的意义，在大多数人看来，这只是流行文化中的性符号。

　　The bikini is a sex symbol that often makes the woman wearing it significantly more attractive in the eyes of men. Women often wear a bikini to impress men or to fit in with the other women in bikinis. Many magazines market themselves by placing a woman in a bikini on the cover. Men often just buy the magazine for the picture of the woman and women may buy it to learn how to look like the woman on the cover.

　　比基尼是性的象征，在男人的眼里，穿比基尼的女人通常更具吸引力。女人通常穿比基尼来给男人留下印象，或者与其她穿比基尼的女性表现一致。许多杂志将比基尼女孩放在首页进行推销。男性通常仅仅是因为杂志上女性的照片才购买，而女性购买杂志或许是为了学习怎样让自己更像封面女郎。

　　Because of the influence of the media, women try to lose weight before the summer so they can have the ideal "bikini body." These weight loss goals are often unrealistic and unhealthy. The image of the bikini in the media sometimes brings about eating disorders in people striving to have the "perfect" body. In reality, most women do not achieve their weight loss goals, but still wear bikinis anyway. That's why there are different styles of bikinis, in different sizes and in different colors to suit every woman's body type.

　　受媒体的影响，女性在夏天来临前都想减肥，这样她们才能有理想的"比基尼身材"。这些减肥目标通常是不切实际、不健康的。媒体上的比基尼画面有时会让努力实现"完美"身材的人造成饮食失调。事实上，大多说女性并没有实现减肥目标，但不管怎样仍然穿比基尼。这就是为什么有不同类型、不同大小和不同颜色的比基尼，适应不同女性的体型。

　　【如何挑选比基尼】

　　海滩度假当然要用比基尼来表现身材了，挑选可以扬长避短的款式尽显身材吧！

　　[梨型身材]

　　Pear-shaped women typically have a smaller top half, with wider hips and a shapely behind. When picking a bikini, pear-shaped women should stick to high-waisted designs that show off their curves. Steer clear of ruching, draping and pleating, as well as thick-banded bottoms, which will only serve to draw attention to the area. To conceal your hips, tie the bikini or a sarong with the ends drifting down one side of your body and opt for wedges to lengthen your legs.

　　梨形身材的女性通常上半身比较瘦，而臀部宽大，背影凹凸有致。挑选比基尼的时候，梨形身材的女性应该选择高腰的设计，这能突出自己的曲线。要避开各种垂坠和褶皱的设计以及厚重的下摆，因为这只会把大家的目光吸引到下半身。可以将比基尼打个结或围一个纱笼裙，裙摆偏向侧面，一定要高开叉，这样既能稍微遮住臀部又能显得腿长。

　　[丰满胸型]

　　If, like around 40% of women, you take a D cup or above, opt for a triangle top that ties at the neck; good support is vital for spreading your bust out width-wise while lounging around the pool. As for the bottom half, opt for substantial briefs to emphasize your derrière and balance your top half. Color wise, darker or brighter hues are the most flattering; avoid pale shades like the plague.

　　如果你和戴D罩杯或以上的40%左右的女性一样，选择系在脖子上的三角形胸罩；当你在泳池里尽情遨游时，泳衣对胸部的支撑力至关重要。至于下半身，选择宽内裤来突出臀部，以此来与上半身达到平衡。而颜色方面，深色或者亮色为佳，避免暗淡的浅色。

　　[小胸身材]

　　If you're proportionally smaller on top with, say, an A or B cup, these tips are for you. Bandeau-style bikini tops are perfect for cheating a cleavage, as are ruffled tops. If you really want to go the extra mile, snap up a padded pushup top for extra lift. Accessory-wise, add lots of bracelets - including the oh-so-now gold tattoo jewelry - to draw attention to your arms, giving you a wider outline.

　　如果你是平胸，即戴A或B罩杯，那么以下是给你的小贴士。细丝带比基尼和带褶饰边的上装一样能挤出完美乳沟。如果想效果再好点，上衣就选带内衬有托举效果的款型。而装饰方面，戴上很多手链——包括抢眼的黄金珠宝纹身——把大家的注意力转移到你的手臂上，将视觉拉宽。

　　[曲线凹凸]

　　If you have a big bust, hips and thighs, it's all about highlighting rather than concealing your curves, while simultaneously providing enough support and coverage. Asymmetrical suits are perfect for drawing attention to the neckline, while color blocking can help highlight your shape. Bigger bikini bottoms will help smooth things out. Choose eye-catching accessories that distract from your tummy - such as white-rimmed shades and a beach basket or bag.

　　如果你拥有丰满的胸部和臀部，大腿粗壮，这时应该强调你的曲线而不是弱化它，同时要有足够的支撑和遮挡。不对称的泳装有助于把大家的目光吸引到颈线上，而撞色系列的泳衣则有利于凸显你的曲线。大点的比基尼下装有助于将你的身材整体看起来更匀称。选择抢眼的首饰能够转移大家在你肚子上的注意力——例如白框太阳镜，沙滩篮或包。