正值酷夏，您是否曾想過穿著比基尼去海灘清涼一日？說起比基尼，除了它熱辣時尚的形象外，您知道比基尼是如何誕生的嗎？又如何來挑選一身適合自己的比基尼呢？本期樂學帶您一起走進精彩的比基尼世界。

【比基尼的起源和發(fā)展】

比基尼一般指女性游泳時穿著的泳衣，這一名稱原指太平洋上的無人島嶼"比基尼島"。

[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.
最早的比基尼證據是公元前1400年開始在希臘墓穴和繪畫中發(fā)現的，圖案上的女性身穿兩件式服裝在進行體育運動。接下來，比基尼的存在體現在公元4世紀西西里島的羅馬鑲嵌畫中。

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.
幾千年過后的20世紀早期，女性對泳衣非常保守。泳衣完全遮蓋了腿部、手臂和身體。20世紀40年代期間，歐洲女性開始顯露皮膚，因為二戰(zhàn)時的定量配給使得制造商減少了制作泳衣的面料用量。但是，直到1946年，比基尼熱才開始真正升溫。

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，后來一并出來了兩款！巴黎設計師雅克·埃姆設計出了首款比基尼"原子"，也是當時世界最小的泳衣。同年，巴黎工程師路易斯·雷爾德向世界公布了一款更小的泳衣——僅用了30英寸的面料。雷爾德將其命名為"比基尼島"，希望他的發(fā)明像原子彈一樣具有爆炸性。比基尼島是太平洋上的一座島嶼，因首次試爆原子彈而聞名。

[明星'帶火'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.
世界各地的沙灘曾試圖禁止比基尼，因為女性露出肚臍被認為是可恥的，即使是在50年代。然而，雷爾德收到了來自5萬名比基尼迷的來信，信中證實了公眾的觀念全然不同。好萊塢重量級人物瑪麗蓮·夢露、麗塔·海華斯和碧姬·芭鐸不久被拍到身穿兩件式泳衣在許多海灘上嬉戲。

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，布萊恩·海蘭德推出歌曲《黃色圓點花紋小小的比基尼》。兩年后，烏蘇拉·安德絲在肖恩·康納利主演的首部邦德電影《諾博士》中身穿白色吊帶比基尼從海面浮出，一個偶像從此誕生。

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.
隨著比基尼越發(fā)流行，它們也變得越來越小。即使維多利亞·貝克漢姆也抵擋不住比基尼的魅力，辣妹組合以及Steps和天命真女組合在90年代的許多場演出中都曾選擇比基尼文胸。

[比基尼流行的時代]

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.
現在，除非你身穿比基尼在泳池邊擺拍一張照，否則便不會成名。從25歲的泰勒·斯威夫特到50多歲還拍比基尼照的海倫·米倫夫人，沒有哪一天沒有名人身穿比基尼在沙灘上拍照的。2013年這一年也因碧昂斯身穿兩件式黃色比基尼為H&M做廣告活動而載入了史冊。

【比基尼的文化含義】

比起其他服飾，比基尼更突出地超越了其本來的功能，成為一種文化概念的語言。

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.
美國接受比基尼用了15年。1951年，比基尼在世界小姐選美比賽中被禁止。然而，在1957年，《上帝創(chuàng)造女人》中碧姬·芭杜的比基尼開拓了美國的泳衣市場，直到1963年，安妮特·富尼切洛和法蘭基·阿瓦隆主演的電影《海灘派對》引領了一批電影熱潮，使比基尼成為一種流行文化的象征。

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.
熟悉比基尼島歷史的人可能會覺得這一語源以及將"比基尼"一詞用作服飾不大合適，因為其玩笑式的"爆炸性"名聲有效降低了嚴肅的人道主義危機的意義，在大多數人看來，這只是流行文化中的性符號。

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。女人通常穿比基尼來給男人留下印象，或者與其她穿比基尼的女性表現一致。許多雜志將比基尼女孩放在首頁進行推銷。男性通常僅僅是因為雜志上女性的照片才購買，而女性購買雜志或許是為了學習怎樣讓自己更像封面女郎。

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.
受媒體的影響，女性在夏天來臨前都想減肥，這樣她們才能有理想的"比基尼身材"。這些減肥目標通常是不切實際、不健康的。媒體上的比基尼畫面有時會讓努力實現"完美"身材的人造成飲食失調。事實上，大多說女性并沒有實現減肥目標，但不管怎樣仍然穿比基尼。這就是為什么有不同類型、不同大小和不同顏色的比基尼，適應不同女性的體型。

【如何挑選比基尼】

海灘度假當然要用比基尼來表現身材了，挑選可以揚長避短的款式盡顯身材吧！

[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較瘦，而臀部寬大，背影凹凸有致。挑選比基尼的時候，梨形身材的女性應該選擇高腰的設計，這能突出自己的曲線。要避開各種垂墜和褶皺的設計以及厚重的下擺，因為這只會把大家的目光吸引到下半身。可以將比基尼打個結或圍一個紗籠裙，裙擺偏向側面，一定要高開叉，這樣既能稍微遮住臀部又能顯得腿長。

[豐滿胸型]

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%左右的女性一樣，選擇系在脖子上的三角形胸罩；當你在泳池里盡情遨游時，泳衣對胸部的支撐力至關重要。至于下半身，選擇寬內褲來突出臀部，以此來與上半身達到平衡。而顏色方面，深色或者亮色為佳，避免暗淡的淺色。

[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，那么以下是給你的小貼士。細絲帶比基尼和帶褶飾邊的上裝一樣能擠出完美乳溝。如果想效果再好點，上衣就選帶內襯有托舉效果的款型。而裝飾方面，戴上很多手鏈——包括搶眼的黃金珠寶紋身——把大家的注意力轉移到你的手臂上，將視覺拉寬。

[曲線凹凸]

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.
如果你擁有豐滿的胸部和臀部，大腿粗壯，這時應該強調你的曲線而不是弱化它，同時要有足夠的支撐和遮擋。不對稱的泳裝有助于把大家的目光吸引到頸線上，而撞色系列的泳衣則有利于凸顯你的曲線。大點的比基尼下裝有助于將你的身材整體看起來更勻稱。選擇搶眼的首飾能夠轉移大家在你肚子上的注意力——例如白框太陽鏡，沙灘籃或包。

（來源：中國日報手機報，編輯 Helen）