A Brief History Of Hansen Womens Tank Tops And Boardshorts
Beach wear wasn’t always as carefree and casual as what can be observed today. These days, it’s normal to see people wearing loose beach clothing like the Hansen Womens tank tops. But it wasn’t always like this. Back then, society was much more conservative. Especially for the women in those times, they were prohibited from wearing clothes that revealed more skin. Labeling those who do so as immoral or indecent.
Over the years, with women wearing thinner beach attires, there have been a few different types of apparel that have been the target of great controversy. One of the best examples is wearing tank tops and shorts.
Tanks Tops
The story of the rise in popularity of the tank tops starts in the early 1920s, when these clothes were first introduced by women in swimming competitions in the Olympics. This first introduction of the apparel also was the reason for their names. Back then, people did not refer to places to swim as swimming pools, but swimming tanks, which gave way to the name “tank tops”. The people during that time were calling the new pieces of cloth as immodest.
A few decades past the appearance of tank tops in movies being worn by men, pushed the tank top to the leads in the fashion trend. This trend in tank tops appearing in Hollywood earned the tank top a new name – wife-beaters – for being worn by villainous men in movies. Then, a fashion revolution sparked in the second half of the 20th century. People were becoming more liberated, and wore less and less, or thinner clothing.
This trend of fashion liberation persisted until today, where people are still wearing tank tops now and then, especially on the beach. Known for its classic cool-and-casual look, tank tops have cemented themselves a spot in present day fashion, with clothing brands producing their own takes on the design, like Hansen Womens Tank Tops.
Boardshorts
The history of shorts is also full of controversy very much like the tank tops’. To understand what lead to people now casually wearing Billabong Womens Boardshorts, let’s take closer look at the history of shorts.
People seen wearing shorts back then were also called immodest. However, what separates the context of “immodesty” between tank tops and board shorts is that, unlike tank tops, the immodesty of wearing shorts is not leaning towards sexuality, but rather on maturity.
Back then, the only people accepted to wear shorts were children. So, having an adult wear one is considered to be childish. This branding of indecency to short-wearers in the past was so extreme that in the United States, some states even passed laws that outright banned the wearing of shorts by adults in public.
With the previously mentioned fashion revolution in the late ‘60s onwards, came not only the popularity and acceptance of tank tops but shorts as well. People were wearing shorts in more casual settings and outings, like going to the beach. This is when surfing companies started capitalizing on the freedom of movement provided by shorts and produced boardshorts for surfers. An example of which is Billabong mass-producing mens boardshorts and Billabong Womens boardshorts.
Board shorts continued to gain traction throughout the years as both a casual piece of clothing and a sporting attire, with the past years leaning more in the latter. Due to becoming a sporting attire, research is continuously being done to help board shorts improve surfer performance (e.g., more comfortable/more elastic material).
Resource
Get your very own Hansen Womens tank tops from Hansensurf.com. Browse through their Billabong Womens Boardshorts collection and pick the one that resonates most with you.
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