Summer Spotlight: The Sinister History of the Bikini

The days are getting longer, the weather is getting warmer, and swimsuit season is officially upon us. And although the bikini has become an icon for “hot girl summer” and luxury vacations, many people are unaware of its dark history and problematic legacy. This piece is written with the intention to highlight particular histories and legacies that are otherwise overlooked, as well as to expose the destructive impacts of militarization in the Pacific.

History of Bikini Atoll

Bikini Atoll is part of the Republic of the Marshall Islands - a former colony of Germany and Japan. As a result of Japan’s defeat in WWII, the Marshall Islands became a U.S. Trust Territory of the Pacific and are currently in “free association” with the United States: “The Compacts allow citizens of Micronesia to live and legally work in the U.S. without a visa, as well as have access to social and health services. In return, the U.S. has sole access and substantial amount of military and veto power over these islands that are...considered of strategic value.”

During the Cold War, the U.S. (and other European countries) conducted nuclear tests in the Pacific Islands, as the colonial relationship with their territories created opportunities for nuclear testing without the full consent of the territories’ residents. Bikini Atoll was the site of 25 nuclear bomb tests between 1946-1958, which included Castle Bravo, the largest U.S. nuclear explosion ever recorded.

In order to vacate Bikini Atoll for testing, the United States forcefully evacuated Bikinians to neighboring atolls in the Marshall Islands. However, there were many troubles with dislocation (note: I am purposefully using this term instead of “relocation” because dislocation is the act of displacing, while relocation is the act of simply moving from one place to another). Bikini Islanders faced continuous displacement to neighboring atolls in the Marshall Islands, but these atolls soon found they were unable to support the Bikinian population due to insufficient resources. On top of these problematic consequences of U.S. imperialism, Bikinians’ spiritual connection to their ancestral land further intensified their desire to return home.

“No longer can I stay; it’s true. No longer can I live in peace and harmony.

No longer can I rest on my sleeping mat and pillow

Because of my island and the life I once knew there.

The thought is overwhelming

Rendering me helpless and in great despair.

My spirit leaves, drifting around and far away

Where it becomes caught in a current of immense power – And only then do I find tranquility." (Bikini Anthem; Lore Kessibuki)

In 1968, the Atomic Energy Commission finally declared the island safe and president Lyndon B. Johnson guaranteed Bikinians’ return. However, Bikini Atoll was still dangerously radioactive, and in 1978, Bikini Islanders were dislocated once again.

Today, Bikinians are still scattered throughout the Marshall Islands and continue to struggle with legacies of nuclear testing and premature resettlement on their home atoll, such as (1) high rates of cancer, thyroid disease, birth defects, and other health issues, (2) lack of access to adequate medical treatment, (3) ongoing displacement, and (4) disputes with traditional owners of the land they currently reside on.

History of the Bikini Swimsuit

Though widely unrecognized, bikini swimsuits were named after Bikini Atoll. Before the first nuclear test on Bikini, French designer, Louis Réard, introduced the first two-piece swimsuit and named it the "bikini" in 1946. Réard’s intent was to compare the effects of the anticipated nuclear tests on Bikini Atoll to the societal effects wrought by the new suit - he believed society would respond to the suit like a bomb.

While Bikini-clad bodies have become symbols of leisure and desirability of an “idealized” female body, the sinister implications of the bikini are not limited to sexism, as it continues to mediate gender and colonial relationships. As Pasifika scholar and author of “bikinis and other s/pacific n/oceans,” Teresia Teaiwa, points out, “The mass-produced and mass-marketed bikini simultaneously transcribes and erases the dispossession of the Bikini Islanders onto millions of female bodies.” Especially disturbing is the fact that

there are more bikinis being sold globally every summer than there are Bikinians receiving compensation for dislocation and exposure to radioactivity.

The bikini bathing suit is a testament to the recurring tourist trivialization of Pacific Islanders' experience and existence - it reminds us of the legacies of militarism and neo-colonialism (which is often perpetuated by corporate tourism) that continue to shape the contemporary Pacific. “Remembering and rearticulating the history of Bikinians’ forced migration and exile is a beginning form of resistance to the ideology that created both the bomb and the bikini” (Teresia Teaiwa).

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