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Baywatch Red Lifeguard Swimsuit

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The Baywatch Red Lifeguard Swimsuit, also known as the Baywatch Red Bathing Suit is an article of clothing worn by the female lifeguards of Baywatch when they are on beach duty and also working at Baywatch Headquarters. It has now become one of the most famous cultural icons of the franchise, as well as a global pop icon! It has shaped beach fashion globally and similar style suits are all the range being seen at beaches all over the world and across the many realms of social media.

The creation of the swimsuit[]

The swimsuit was first introduced in the pilot episode Panic at Malibu Pier used by the female lifeguards of the Los Angeles County.

The swimsuit displayed an original Los Angeles Lifeguard County patch on it from the first two seasons, but later on from the third season to the present, it was changed to the iconic Baywatch Lifeguard patch, having an impact on the show.

In later seasons we also see the introduction of the TYR swimsuit brand logo onto the swimsuits, either in white or yellow. The partnership with TYR existed from the very beginning of Baywatch, however it wasn't until the eighth season that their logo made it's debut onto the swimsuit. It is down to Baywatch that the popularity of TYR soared globally! It is now one of the top competitive and recreational swimsuit brands in the world!

Individuality[]

During every season of Baywatch, a whole variety of slightly different red swimsuits have featured, each one uniquely tailored to the actress wearing it. Gregory J. Bonann, one of the creators of the series and lifeguard himself, enlisted TYR, a competitive swimwear company, for help with the design. “I wanted them to be real and practical and actually work in the surf,” Mr. Bonann said in an article by the New York Times.

Michael Berk, another creator of the show, said. “We never tried to be sexy intentionally. It was all about athletics and functionality.”

Over the course of the show the designs of the swimsuit changed. The first one had two front straps attached to a thin athletic strap on the back and then later an open back. The second design was altered with many styles: scoop neck, thicker or thinner straps, high neck, criss cross straps and full front.

The goal, Mr. Bonann said, was to flatter each star’s body, for example, putting Alexandra Paul's athletic frame in a high neck swimsuit with thin shoulder straps and Pamela Anderson's model frame in a scoop neckline swimsuit with thick shoulder straps while short stature cast members like Erika Eleniak, Kelly Packard and Carmen Electra, were given higher-cut legs to fake the appearance of height.

Deeming the swimsuit’s shade of red a powerful and heroic hue, Michael Berk worked with Pantone, the colour standards company, to make “Baywatch Red” a proprietary shade. In 2019 this dream became a reality when Pantone declared "Baywatch Red" a special Pantone colour shade.

Gallery[]

Designs[]

Patches[]

Other Designs[]

Other wearers of the swimsuit[]

Trivia[]

  • During the course of the seasons, the designs have changed including the thickness of the shoulder straps and height of leg space to accommodate the individual actresses.
  • The most common style is the open back.
  • Shauni McClain wore both the athletic strap and open back designs of the first swimsuit.
  • Caroline Holden is one of the primary wearers of the cross back style red one-piece, although from time to time she can be seen in the traditional open back style.
  • Joey Jennings wore a smaller design of the swimsuit with a cross back and white ties. The lifeguard patch looked very large as it was the same sized patch on all the other swimsuits.
  • Bridget and Season 9's Neely Capshaw have incredibly high cut leg one-pieces compared to other lifeguards.  
  • Some of the lifeguards can be seen in both the open back and cross back style of swimsuits such as April Giminski.
  • Jessie Owens wore a thin strap open back swimsuit in season 9, which is similar to the design worn by Stephanie Holden throughout her time on Baywatch, while the most common open back swimsuits have slightly thicker straps. However Brooke Burns has worn a swimsuit with thicker straps in various promotional pictures.
  • Alex Ryker is unique as she is the only lifeguard to wear the high fronted swimsuit.
  • Jenna Avid is an Island of Oahu North Shore Lifeguard who wears a similar swimsuit through season 10 and 11. However it has a different patch to represent her role with the North Shore Lifeguards.
  • Many of the actresses have kept their swimsuits in their homes, some stashed away in a special place. Pamela Anderson has been known to have kept a few of them, Kelly Packard keeps one of hers along with a picture in a glass frame and Angelica Bridges has one of hers kept in a case.
  • Some actresses have worn the swimsuit for certain events or sponsorships.
  • Some actresses have donated their swimsuits at special events such as Gena Lee Nolin and Donna D'Errico.
  • Actress and model Katie Lohmann auditioned for a role on Baywatch just before it's cancellation, but didn't receive a role. However she donned an authentic red swimsuit for a themed photoshoot.
  • David Hasselhoff's third wife Hayley Roberts wore the red swimsuit whilst posing with David in a themed photoshoot for a interview with Hello! magazine in 2011.
  • SAF3, another television series created by Gregory J. Bonann featured the same red swimsuit worn by the female lifeguards with a different patch. Interestingly in one of the trailers, one of actresses Katie Meehan said "People always think it's about the red suit, it's not, it's about the team."
  • During the last two seasons in Hawaii, a yellow version of the swimsuit with a different lifeguard patch was created.

Miscellaneous[]

Baywatch Outfits

Baywatch
Baywatch Red Lifeguard Shorts • Baywatch Red Lifeguard Swimsuit • Baywatch Red and Black Lifeguard Bomber Jacket • Baywatch Office Uniform • Baywatch Black Rookie Briefs • Baywatch Black Off Duty Swimsuit • Baywatch Red Lifeguard Jumpsuit • Baywatch Yellow Rash Guard Bikini

Baywatch Hawaii
Baywatch Hawaii Red and Yellow Lifeguard Shorts • Baywatch Hawaii Yellow Lifeguard Swimsuit • Baywatch Hawaii Red and Yellow Lifeguard Bomber Jacket • Baywatch Hawaii Yellow Lifeguard Jacket • Baywatch Hawaii Yellow Lifeguard Shirt • Baywatch Hawaii Floral Rash Guard • Baywatch Hawaii Female Wetsuit • Baywatch Red and Black Rookie Shorts • Baywatch Black Rookie Bikini • Baywatch Black Rookie Rash Guard

Others
Los Angeles Sand and Sea Beach Club Yellow Lifeguard Swimsuit • Bayguard Blue Lifeguard Shorts • Bayguard Blue Lifeguard Swimsuit • Hawaiian Rescue and Water Safety Yellow Lifeguard Swimsuit • Avalon Yellow Australian Lifeguard Swimsuit • Island of Oahu Red Lifeguard Swimsuit • Island of Oahu Red Lifeguard Bikini • Island of Oahu Grey Lifeguard Jacket


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