The Independent: First tech-suit was created by a woman in 1907

Annette Kellerman was the Michael Phelps of her day and I find it ironic that in my blogging searches that all the famous swimmers at the turn of the century were woman. Men only started getting famous when the Duke and Johnny Weismuller showed up.

Annette Kellerman was said to have had a perfect body with measurements comparable to that the Venus De Milo statue. (She lost weight when she appeared in silent films usually playing the role of the mermaid.)

Besides contributing some epic swims for the record books she was appalled about the heavy wool suits woman wore into the ocean and decided to sex them up a bit and make them comparable in efficiency to the men's suit.

Annette Kellerman created the first tech-suit and even got arrested for wearing one. From The Independent:

Men, by contrast, wore one-piece sleeveless bathing suits, which were much more functional, so Kellerman decided to invent her own version, with tights attached. The result was a costume that covered the wearer from neck to toe but was scandalously figure-hugging – and people were duly scandalised. Kellerman was undeterred, and the suit became her trademark. In 1907, she was arrested while strolling along along a Boston beach in a thigh-length creation. [Remember, this is more than a decade before woman had the right to vote]

Women quickly adopted the men's-style suit, particularly for competitive swimming. "She created a new look for women, but she was also making a very strong statement that women could be active and glamorous," says Penny Cuthbert, the co-curator of the exhibition, "Exposed! The story of swimwear", at the Australian National Maritime Museum.

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History doesn't repeat itself, but it sure does rhyme. -- Mark Twain