Meet Annette Kellerman, an Australian woman and verified baddie who has a few firsts under her belt. She was a real-life mermaid and one of the first examples of a woman making bank from the labour of her body and allure. Kim Kardashian and Lady Gaga obviously took notes from her legendary legacy.
Annette was the first woman to wear firm-fitting swimwear in public, a pleasure she was reportedly arrested for.
Annette first found herself in the spotlight as a champion swimmer, having taken up swimming as physical therapy due to a deformity she was born with. She became one of the first women to attempt to swim the English Channel in 1905 at age 19 and held all-female swimming records from 1905 to 1906.
She then pivoted to film and was so comfortable in her skin, she became the first woman to appear nude on the silver screen. She often played water and sea-related roles adding to her mermaid like personal brand.
Ultimately, she created her own swimwear line - the first of it's kind to fit snuggly to curves, rather than the baggy woollen get up that was of the fashion previously. Her designs took off and have influenced what women wear and swim in today.
At SÜK we love this story: a confident woman who saw the power of her body and femininity as something to be enjoyed, something to make a living from and something to create a legacy.
In this, there is such great joy and freedom, and it was women like this that paved the way in making access to this joy and freedom that little more abundant for us today.
1 comment
Thanks for sharing that. I love that she’s one of your muses. I think I now need to know more about this amazing woman who was a trailblazer. We need more like her!