 In 1950 , American swimsuit mogul Fred Cole , owner of Cole of California , told Time that bikinis were designed for " diminutive Gallic women " , as because " French girls have short legs ... swimsuits have to be hiked up at the sides to make their legs look longer . " In 1961 , The New York Times reported the opinion that the bikini is permissible for people are not " too fat or too thin " . In the 1960s etiquette writer Emily Post decreed that " [ A bikini ] is for perfect figures only , and for the very young . " In The Bikini Book by Kelly Killoren Bensimon , swimwear designer Norma Kamali says , " Anyone with a tummy " should not wear a bikini . Since then , a number of bikini designers including Malia Mills have encouraged women of all ages and body types to take up the style . The 1970s saw the rise of the lean ideal of female body and figures like Cheryl Tiegs . Her figure remained in vogue in the 21st century . 
