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Monokini, sometimes referred to as a Unikini, a term used for different styles of one-piece swimsuits, which all have in common that they are inspired by the bikini.

Contents 1 Original monokini and etymology 2 Modern Monokinis 3 Other uses of the term 4 See also 5 References

In 1964, Austrian Rudi Gernreich designed the original monokini in the US. Gernreich also invented its name, and the word monokini is recorded in English since that same year.

The word is a back formation from bikini, interpreting the first syllable as the prefix bi- "two" and substituting it with mono- "one", on the (perhaps intentionally) mistaken notion that the bi- element was the Greek prefix meaning "two".^[1] Greek mono- means 'single', but bikini comes from the name of the Bikini Atoll (a Marshall Islands atoll, since the 1940s applied to the two-part bathing suit).

Gernreich's monokini looked like a one-piece swimsuit but cut off a bit below the breasts leaving them bare. It only had two small straps over the shoulders.^[2]

In the 1960s, the monokini led the way into the sexual revolution by emphasizing a woman's personal freedom of dress, even when her attire was provacative and exposed more skin than had been the norm during the more conservative 1950s. Today, many monokinis are designed as the ulimate in sexy swimwear, using chains, strings, and strategic strips of fabric to join the upper and lower portions of the suit while still covering the basics of the female form. Today's styles are decidedly less racy than Gernreich's original design, but nonetheless are a revealing style of swimsuit.^[3]

Most commonly, and closest to the original term, a monokini is a bikini bottom without the corresponding top, worn by women, that leaves the breasts bare. The term "monokini" is also sometimes used to describe a swimsuit which resembles a bikini but where the top and bottom parts have been made in one piece, usually connected at the sides of the body. The term can also refer to what is perhaps more commonly known as a sling bikini.

• Bikini waxing
• Brazilian waxing
• Bikini contest
• Toplessness
• Microkini

1. ^ Etymology OnLine on the word monokini
2. ^ A picture of Gernreich's original monokini can be seen on this external page
3. ^ Monokinis at LoveToKnow Swimsuits