07/12/2006 – Yahoo! Search has seen a 700% rise in requests for information on naturist beaches and holidays over the last five years. Could this suggest that after 60 years the bikini is on its way out? Online searches in areas such as “naturist holidays” have risen more than ten-fold, and online searches of “nudist beaches” are four times more popular than 5 years ago. Other searches such as “naturist hotels,” “nudist camps” and “naturist clubs” have all seen similar increases over this time frame. Does this mean that as a nation we are losing our famous British inhibition - and could the future of the bikini be shaky in Britain?

"The bikini is certainly a garment in need of critical appraisal after 60 years, and has gone from shock horror to popular icon, as in Brian Hyland's 1962 hit "the itsy bitsy teeny weenie yellow polka dot bikini," to global acceptance," comments Juliet Ash Tutor in Fashion and Textiles Design History at the Royal College of Art. "And we are definitely seeing a re-emergence of nudism in the noughties - or should that be renamed the naughties - the last time nudity was in vogue was back in the 1960s. However, whilst the continentals continue to go topless on the beach, it seems that it's all or nothing with Brits as they seem to have been keeping their tops firmly on or dropping the thread entirely during this recent heatwave." Influenced by the bikinis 60th birthday, Yahoo! Search also surveyed who, over the decades, are considered to be the ultimate bikini icons.

The results were dominated by uninhibited, confident women such as the Bond babes; with the ultimate bikini icon of all time being Ursula Andress stepping out of the sea in the Bond film Dr No with 21% of the votes. She was closely followed by another Bond babe, Halle Berry with 10%, holding the number two slot in joint place with Marilyn Monroe. Results hinted that people seem to consider the healthier, more rounded female form to be the most attractive in a bikini with Pamela Anderson, Jane Fonda and Bo Derek all coming out on top of their respective decades. "The image of Ursula is iconic and has impressed generations of men and women for several decades - however, it seems that the new way to show your body confidence is to go completely nude in some cases!

Maybe in 20 years time we might consider the bikini as being really prudish - the same way that the Victorian bathing suit is now viewed!,"