In the early days of Australian beach culture, white settlers did not initially embrace the Australian shoreline with the same enthusiasm as coastal First Nations people. Until the early 1900s, ‘surf-bathing’ remained the preserve of men who gathered nude on beaches and riverbanks for a daily pre-dawn dip. Museums and archives around Australia hold among their collections, numerous vintage photographs of Aussie male swimmers. These images capture the essence of beach culture at the time and offer a glimpse into the evolution of Australian beachwear.
Once municipalities began to provide seaside facilities, men and women either bathed at separate times or in their own designated areas. Eventually, municipal authorities relented and allowed mixed bathing. But worry-warts lay awake at night fretting about the wave of promiscuity that would wash across the nation if unrestrained penises were allowed open access to Aussie beaches.
So, councils at first insisted men and boys over 14 wear skirts over their bathers. Men took to beaches across the nation in frocks borrowed from mothers, sisters, wives, and grannies to protest the ridiculous requirement. Surf-lifesaving associations complained about the danger of members becoming entangled during rescues. With skirts proving so unpopular, municipalities turned to another sartorial option — the V. The V was a brief under- or over-garment designed to restrain and compress the male genitalia and make it less obtrusive. Council ordinances banned the use of flimsy or transparent fabric in an effort to stem the tide of dancing dicks flip, flop, flapping across the nation’s beaches.
Over time, the V went the way of the horseless carriage and the tie-on lambskin condom. Men adopted something akin to the modern wrestling singlet. Some did favor a modesty panel, but skinny-dipping remained popular away from the public gaze.
While the vintage photographs of nude male swimmers might be considered risqué by some, they offer an interesting insight into the evolution of beachwear in Australia. These images capture a time when nude swimmers were a common sight on beaches and riverbanks, and when councils tried to regulate beachwear with the use of skirts and the V. Today, beachgoers enjoy more freedom when it comes to beachwear, but the legacy of these early regulations can still be seen in the swimwear we wear today.