Why are Anime swimsuits so popular across generations?

Form-fitting, sleek one-piece swimsuits dominate high-school anime’s depictions of girls. Fans demand, in fact, require their anime to feature their favorite female characters in these iconic one-pieces. More than a few fetishes in the fandom focus on this blue spandex swimsuit. In Japan, school uniforms consist of a white shirt, black skirt, and navy blue shorts. These three items are worn together every day. However, during summer vacation, students can wear whatever they want. High-schoolers often choose to wear a bikini instead of the traditional uniform. While wearing a bikini may not be appropriate for work, it is perfectly acceptable for leisure activities such as swimming. The swimsuit features in high-school anime because it is a part of Japanese school life. But where exactly did this one-piece swimsuit come from?

To answer that, we need to look at the history of swimwear in the West. Japan imported Western-style swimwear, along with many other Western ideas and costumes, during the early part of the 1900s. So what does the history of Western swimwear have to do with the Japanese school-girl one-piece? The answer traces back to the Meiji Restoration and the rise of the modan garu in the 1920s.

To understand why the Japanese school-girls wear one-pieces, we must examine the development of swimsuits in the West. In the late 1800s, women began wearing bathing suits similar to those worn today. These were made of cotton and had no undergarments. They were loose fitting and covered only the torso. By the 1930s, however, they became much tighter and shorter. Women also started wearing them with skirts. During World War II, women wore these outfits to hide their bodies from German soldiers. After the war, women continued to wear tight, short, skimpy outfits. Today, women wear bikinis because they feel comfortable in them.

The Meiji Restoration was the beginning of Japan’s rapid industrialization. Japan looked to the west for inspiration, specifically America. The rapid import of western ideas sent shockwaves through Japanese culture. One particular social class noticed a profound difference between traditional Japanese values and those of the west; women. Women were becoming consumers of new western styles of media: mass market publications, films, music, and other imports. An elite class of women started emulating the western fashion they saw in American films. The modan garus, or modern girls, came to represent the ideals of the modern woman.


Fast forward to many years, here are some of the most popular or should I say modernized anime bathing suits:

 

The Uniform Swimsuit

Anime took notice of this trend back in the early 2000s. The one-pieces were a huge hit among male viewers who wanted to see women naked without any clothes covering them. They also tapped into the nostalgic feelings of those who grew up during the 1980s and 1990s. These days, anime fans can enjoy sexy scenes featuring girls wearing nothing but an anime black bikini.

 

The Japanese Anime Swim Shorts

The male swimsuit has followed the same path as the female. As Western society became aware of Western male fashions, so too did men adopt Western clothing. Men's swimsuits have not seen as much change as those of females. From one perspective, Western cultures put a greater emphasis on female skin than male. This is why men tend to have fewer controversies with swimsuits.


Now that we have a brief history moment, the more important question is where do we buy the best anime swimsuits? One of my go to places is Cosplayguru. This is your one stop place if you are looking for anime swimsuits for sale. And for a while I think you can get your swimsuits customized. Prepare your swimsuit anime drawings and ask them for a quote. They have it all.

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