A type of low-cut panties or swimwear that were originally for women. The modern bikini was born in 1946. It was named after the island Bikini Atoll, which is part of the Marshall Islands in the Pacific Ocean where nuclear-weapon tests were done. It was so daring that the only model who would originally wear it was a nude dancer. It did not become popular in the U.S. until 1960 when Brian Hyland’s song Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini hit the charts, and women suddenly started gearing up, or down, in bikinis. While not yet relegated to granny-panty category, bikinis are now somewhat conservative when compared to thongs and G-Strings.