Victoria, trend setter

[Dure]

I have been thinking about this time-line in a bit more detail. It is clear to everyone I think, that if Victoria popularises the bikini in the 1840s and perhaps 50s then the Spanish-American war is likely to be the pivotal event of the 19th century. In such a war the USA will obviously be utterly defeated. What is unclear is if the Spanish are capable of exploiting this? Indeed I have glibly suggested that there will be an earlier WWI but if Spain rivals Britain again the war with Germany may be a mere Eastern sideline. One possible way around this rivalry might be to marry one of her issue off to the house of Bourbon. What do you all think?

[MNP]

Frankly, I think America is so neurotic about sex (and even more so in the 19th century) that it might be possible to use bikini clad women as psychological warfare.

[Burton K Wheeler]

Originally Posted by Dure

@Burton,
I do suspect you of ‘extracting the amber waste fluid’ but ... it is a reasonable question. I would have thought given the large dinners and larger waistlines of any number of Victorian gentlemen that elasticated trousers are inevitable.

I would imagine the same thing. Have you considered the effect that this increased demand for rubber would have on the South-East Asian colonies? The spark for global war may come not from Africa or the Balkans but from the Indies!

[Colonel Troutstrangler]

Originally Posted by Dure

@Burton,


@Colonel Troutstrangler,
What do you think the Blues and Royals wear man! Are you suggesting they is all whopsies? You are a disgrace to your regiment and Horse Guards. I shall send you; revolver, bullet and bottle of scotch. Do the honourable thing.

Call that a bottle of scotch; rotgut more like! got absolutly relaxed with the stuff, fell orf mi orse, and shot the cook with your bally pistol. Made in india no doubt! please send more scotch!

[jmberry]

Originally Posted by Falastur

No, I mean that to engineer this situation, you'd probably need to start changing historical events in Elizabeth's reign. I don't think that pre-Victoria, or even during her reign, that attitudes could change as seismically as they would need to to have this happen. Attitudes took a LOOONG time to change before the whole liberalism movement of the 20th century.

Ah, okay.



So ... would it be more plausible for the bikini to appear in Elizabethan than Victorian England. Possibly with a sport to popularize it (say, an earlier invention of volleyball)?

[Dure]

Have you considered the effect that this increased demand for rubber would have on the South-East Asian colonies? The spark for global war may come not from Africa or the Balkans but from the Indies!

I strongly suspect that they would use artifical elastomers, spandex strips to the cognosenti.

[Douglas]

The plastics engineer calls bullshit on the early use of spandex. With the lack of chemical know-how at the time, this is ASB.