Every girl can have a swimwear moment if she's got a patient friend and some good lighting, but if you want something longer-lasting than an Instagram photo, you're gonna need a full crew and a culture-defining moment. Here, 30 suits that did just that to become the most memorable and iconic of all time. If a Museum of Swimwear existed, these pieces would belong there.
Raquel Welch
Cavewomen probably did not look like this. But tatters sell, so that's what Hollywood did for One Million Years B.C. #marketing
Kim Kardashian
On the flip side (heh), a celebrity most of the world has seen naked in some capacity managed to top even herself...with clothes. Seen here on a girls' vacation in Mexico, Kim Kardashian wears thong swimsuit bottoms.
Farrah Fawcett
Hung in teenage bedrooms the world over.
Carrie Fisher
Though the late Carrie Fisher drew attention to how problematic it was, the bondage-inspired two-piece remains firmly in the HOF of movie costumes.
Romy Schneider
La Piscine had everything: extremely beautiful stars, an extremely French plot, and the chicest wardrobe, including this flawlessly cut white maillot.
Brooke Shields
If you didn't already know, you could probably guess what the Blue Lagoon was about by looking at Brooke Shields' shipwreck-underwear-thing. (Answer: naked, unsupervised teens.)
Brigitte Bardot
The film is literally titled Girl in the Bikini. So they tried to make it a good one.
Elizabeth Taylor
Her polka dot halter-top one-piece may look conservative now, but at the time, this portrait of Elizabeth Taylor was considered the epitome of risqué.
Ashley Graham
In 2016, the supermodel made history when she became the first curvy girl on the cover of the Sport's Illustrated swimsuit issue in a blue bikini. Slay, girl!
Reese Witherspoon
Who can forget the Elle Woods Harvard audition tape in Legally Blonde where she shows off how studious she is while rocking a sparkly pink bikini? You know you've worn an iconic swimsuit when Kim Kardashian turns it into her Halloween costume.
Deborah Kerr
After wearing her structured, belted bathing suit in From Here To Eternity, Deborah Kerr was quoted as saying, "I don't think anyone knew I could act until I put on a bathing suit." At least it was a great suit!
Sally Field
Sally Field made the world fall in love with Gidget in the 1965 television show, and it probably didn't hurt that she was constantly wearing a bright bikini we wish we had on right now.
Denise Richards
Wild Things is an all-around racy movie, so it really says something that Denise Richards' blue one-piece is remembered more than the actual plot of the film.
Gloria Hendry
The colorful bikini Gloria Hendry wore during Live and Let Die may be the most important of the film. But her pose is basically the definition of "badass."
Salma Hayek
The giant snake casually tossed around her shoulders, the burgundy bikini, the gold charms...Salma Hayek in From Dusk Till Dawn is a true icon.
Jessica Simpon
It was all about the Daisy Dukes in Dukes of Hazzard, but it's not surprising that Jessica Simpson also made it all about this bright pink bikini.
Angelina Jolie
The sleek black bikini that Angelina Jolie wore in Tomb Raider as Lara Croft may not have been the most practical, but it's a simple look we still aspire to today.
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