---
title: The Bikini's Bottom Line (Financially Speaking)
description: MONEY takes a look at the financial impact of the swimsuit edition—and of the bikini itself.
authors:
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    url: https://money.com/author/katie-meyer/
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published: '2016-02-16T20:57:57.000Z'
modified: '2020-07-07T10:56:49.000Z'
section: Lifestyle
tags:
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  - bikinis
  - Clothing
  - Money
  - Saving
  - Shopping
  - Spending
  - Sports Illustrated
  - swimsuits
  - video
word_count: 137
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type: Article
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![SWIMSUITS.00_00_04_04.Still001](https://img.money.com/2016/02/swimsuits-00_00_04_04-still001.jpg)

[*Sports Illustrated*](http://www.si.com/swimsuit) released on Monday the magazine's 52nd swimsuit issue. Money took a look at the earnings power of the swimsuit edition and the history of the bikini.

The first swimsuit issue was released in 1964, 18 years after the bikini was introduced to the masses. One out of three Americans will read the swimsuit edition, and the magazine will reach more men in the 18-34 age range than the Super Bowl.

The bikini was introduced in 1946 and named after the South Pacific site where the United States tested atomic bombs in the 1940s.

Women's swimwear costs a lot of money. On average, women will spend $47 on a bathing suit. The reason suits go for $47 or more is because of the materials swimsuits are made out of and the machines used to make them.

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