Bombshell

Seventy years ago this planet was rocked by two seismic events over a one week span. First was the atomic testing in the Bikini Atoll by the United States Military.  The test unleashed massive power and wreaked havoc over a sizeable portion of the Pacific Ocean.

Atomic Testing at Bikini Atoll in 1946

The second event in pop culture terms was far more powerful using far less material:

Micheline Bernardini and the Bikini's Debut, 1946

Legend has it 70 years ago on July 5th, 1946 a former automotive engineer Louis Réand was looking for a lady to model his new bathing suit. No regular model was willing to wear such an outfit, but fortunately a stripper, Micheline Bernadini, promoted the four small triangles of fabric (two on top, two on bottom) for photographers in Paris. This tiny number was named after the atoll used for atomic testing, and the bikini gave birth to a global phenomenon.

Over the next seven decades, the bikini has evolved from being banned to its general acceptance in fashion. It has been complimented in song, print and sport.  Despite ongoing controversy of female objectification, the bikini is celebrated by women for its’ liberating freedom and a simpler joy of life.

The bikini has become so prevalent in culture that when given to choice to wear another outfit for the 2012 London Olympics, female Olympians voted overwhelmingly to play in bikinis. To them it is not objectification, but the ease of use, making their bikinis highly functional.

Pretty Vacant: Hong Kong Bound Working Page 2

The bikini has also assisted with the Pretty Vacant stories. Not only do they keep the comic from a mature audiences only rating, they also serve an in-story purpose of housing bio-sensors which provide information to monitor a person's vital signs, even when they are subject to plastination or cryogenic freezing.

Réand’s invention has expanded the audience as well. The bikini has allowed people to admire the Gigi character’s form while not distracting them from following her adventures, which cater to the sizeable female readership. Thanks ladies and gentlemen for reading Pretty Vacant, and thanks to the bikini for helping out!

Outside of Jesus feeding the 5,000 or the music of The Beatles, who knew that so little could give so much?