L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2022 www.italoamericano.org 30 L'Italo-Americano I l due pezzi, the biki- ni: a view as com- mon on the world's b e a c h e s a s s u n - s c r e e n a n d f l i p flops. More or less reveal- ing, in a variety of styles and colors, it remains the most popular swimsuit style f o r w o m e n . O n c e u p o n a time, more or less rigorous- ly worn only by perfectly- shaped, model-like young girls, today it is embraced by all, young and old, skin- n y a n d c h u b b y , a n u n e x - p e c t e d s y m b o l o f b o d y acceptance and equality. Most of us are familiar w i t h i t s i n c e p t i o n , o r a t least, with the story behind its name: up to the 1930s, swimsuits for women were v e r y c o v e r i n g a n d v e r y "one-piece," and while the t r e n d o f s e p a r a t e s d e v e l - o p e d w e w e r e s t i l l l i g h t years away from the reveal- ing styles we wear today. We'd have to wait until 1946 t o s e e t h e f i r s t " m o d e r n " two-pieces on our beaches. That year, two French styl- i s t s , L o u i s R e a r d a n d Jacob Heim revolution- i z e d s w i m s u i t s f o r e v e r introducing the first real two-piece bathing suits. For t h e t i m e s , t h e y w e r e s o revealing and "explosive" that they were christened Bikini, just like the small atoll of the Marshall Islands w h e r e t h e U S , d u r i n g a t e c h n i c a l t r i a l , h a d j u s t exploded atomic bombs. But what if I told you that t h e b i k i n i i s m u c h m o r e a n c i e n t a n d i t w a s e n v o g u e a l r e a d y a m o n g Roman women more than 2000 years ago? Let us take an ideal jour- ney together to Sicily and, more precisely to Piazza A r m e r i n a , a t o w n o f 2 0 , 0 0 0 i n t h e E n n a province. A couple of miles from its historical center, w e f i n d t h e V i l l a d e l Casale, once the holiday r e s i d e n c e o f M a x i m i a n u s E r c u l i u s , c o - r u l e r o f t h e E m p i r e w i t h D i o c l e t i a n (284-305 AD). In the room known as "the room of the ten girls," a beautifully pre- s e r v e d m o s a i c d e p i c t s a g r o u p o f y o u n g w o m e n practicing a variety of sports w e a r i n g b r i e f s a n d b a n - deau-style bikini tops: some o f t h e m p l a y w i t h a b a l l , others run after one anoth- er, others still stretch while m u s i c i a n s p l a y f o r t h e m . There is very little doubt these sporty ancestors of ours wore two-pieces very c l o s e i n s t y l e t o m o d e r n bikinis, but they wouldn't wear them, like us today, to go to the beach... T o m a k e t h i n g s a b i t clearer, we should start with underwear because, just like t o d a y , R o m a n " b i k i n i s " w e r e r e l a t e d i n s h a p e t o common, everyday under- garments. Indeed, both men a n d w o m e n o f a n c i e n t Rome would wear subligac- ula under their clothes, just like we wear briefs today: they consisted of a triangle o f f a b r i c w i t h t w o s i d e s t r i n g s t o t i e i t u p a t t h e waist. Women would also wear a strophium, a ban- deau used to support and cover the breasts, without squeezing them too much. But in Rome, large breasts weren't considered beautiful nor attractive, as they were often associated with old age, reason for which many y o u n g e r l a d i e s o p t e d f o r the mammillare, a strophi- um that compressed breast tissue reducing its appear- ance under clothes. That's all good and inter- esting, but what's the deal w i t h t h e g i r l s o f P i a z z a Armerina and their bikinis? W e a l l k n o w t h e R o m a n s w e r e v e r y f o n d o f their terme, public baths where citizens could relax, take care of their bodies, and socialize. Both women and men were allowed, but basic rules of decency were to be followed, especially by women, who would cover up their breasts with the fascia pectoralis and their "lower regions" with the subligacu- l u m . B a s i c a l l y , t h e y h a d versions of their underwear they could show in public… a bit like today's bikinis. B u t " b i k i n i s " i n R o m e w e r e a l s o w o r n o n o t h e r occasions. The girls of Villa del Casale, as we said, are all practicing physical activ- i t i e s , s o t h e i r t w o - p i e c e s didn't only need to cover up their bodies but also allow f r e e d o m o f m o v e m e n t . About this, we should open a p a r e n t h e s i s : R o m a n women didn't practice sport commonly and female ath- l e t e s w e r e o f t e n f r o w n e d u p o n , b e c a u s e p h y s i c a l activity, especially when too vigorous, was believed to cause fertility issues. There- fore, seeing women engag- ing in physical activities like t h o s e o f V i l l a d e l C a s a l e wasn't common at all. It is likely, however, that the fascia pectoralis and the subligaculum were used during practice in dance or sports schools, and that's why historians think that the girls of Piazza Armerina may be professional dancers performing, and their "biki- nis" stage costumes. And what about the sea, sunbathing and swimming? Did Roman women enjoy the beach in their bikinis, just like we do? Actually, no. Sunbathing wasn't to become popular for another 2000 years, on the contrary, sun-kissed skin was consid- e r e d a c l e a r i n d i c a t o r a woman belonged to a lower social class, one where she h a d t o w o r k o u t s i d e . S o , there was no lounging by the sea. And when it came to swimming, both women and men would do it naked, c o v e r e d o n l y b y t h e c o o l e m e r a l d b e a u t y o f t h e Mediterranean. Did the Romans invent the bikini so? Well, they had something very similar, but t h e y d i d n ' t u s e i t f o r t h e same things we use it today. The two-piece bathing suits of the Piazza Armerina girls are perhaps more akin to t h e t e c h n i c a l t w o - p i e c e s professional runners wear when training and compet- i n g , o r t o t h e r e v e a l i n g , g l i t z y c o s t u m e s o f 1 9 4 0 s Moulin Rouge starlets. The itsy-bitsy bikini…in ancient Rome! FRANCESCA BEZZONE One of the girls in the mosaics of Villa del Casale (Photo: Izanbar/Dreamstime) HERITAGE HISTORY IDENTITY TRADITIONS PEOPLE

• Cover