Popular Hollywood films of the 1940s and 50s helped earn women the right to swim freely for fun and fitness. Vicki Valosik traces a century of aquatic performance from circus acts to the Olympics, and brings to life the cast of characters whose swimming spectacles laid the groundwork for a new sport and changed women’s relationship with water. Once forbidden to swim alongside men or required to wear petticoats to hide their legs while wading, female swimming pioneers defied society’s rigid expectations of what was permissible for their sex. Far more than so-called “mermaid queens,” they ushered in sensible swimwear, developed life-saving swim instruction programs, reduced drowning rates, and turned synchronized swimming into a global sport showcasing women’s ambition, grace, and athleticism. Valosik will recount fascinating stories about the athletic joy of “fancy swimming” and why they remain significant today.
For an optimal experience, pair this course with Swimming Lessons: Swimming and Aquatics in Popular Culture, Literature, and Life (in-person Course 12713 or online Course 12843).
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