What are Brazilian-style bikinis?
Brazilian style bikinis are distinct for their revealing cuts that showcase the body’s curves.
With high-cut legs, scooped backs, and tiny triangles or strings for tops, these swimsuits expose more skin and have less fabric than traditional bikinis. While skimpy, Brazilian bikini styles do provide some coverage to differentiate them from thongs.
Brazilian-style bikini tops
Brazilian bikini tops are designed to show off cleavage and draw attention to the chest. Triangular shaped cups lift up the breasts and create a pushed-up effect, maximizing cleavage.
Tops tie behind the neck and around the back with thin strings rather than wide bands, leaving much of the back, shoulders, and sides exposed.
Some Brazilian tops consist of tiny string triangles just large enough to cover the nipples. These micro triangle designs provide minimal coverage and are held in place by thin strings.
Halter neck and strapless Brazilian tops are also popular for showing off the chest and shoulders.
Brazilian-cut bikini bottoms
Brazilian bikini bottoms are low-slung with high-cut leg openings to showcase the hips, rear, and outer thighs. The back coverage is very minimal, exposing most of the rear.
However, Brazilian bikini bottoms do have slightly more fabric than a thong. A narrow strip of triangular fabric stretches across the bottom, while the sides curve upwards high on the hips.
This cut shapes and lifts the rear by exposing the full rounded area rather than just a thin string as on a thong. From the front, Brazilian bottoms appear more modest before turning to reveal the scooped-out, cheeky backside.
Types of Brazilian Bikini Bottoms
There are a few popular styles of Brazilian bikini bottoms:
Tangas
Tangas feature a triangle back piece with straight-across top edging and very high-cut legs, leaving the hips and most of the rear exposed.
The small triangle back panel provides some minimal coverage. Tangas offer slightly more rear coverage compared to the fio dental style. Both the front and back sit low on the hips.
Fio dental
The fio dental style consists of slim side strap strings that curve up high on the hips to expose the rear. A narrow strip of fabric stretches straight across the back connecting the strings, while the rest of the rear is fully exposed.
The front appears fuller than the back since the side strings lift and frame the hips. Fio dental bottoms provide the least rear coverage of the Brazilian bikini styles.
Asa delta
Asa delta bikini bottoms have a thong-like back with only a thin strand of fabric running between the buttocks.
Distinctive side strap strings curve upwards to accentuate the hips, creating a frame around the rear and exposing the cheeks.
The front and side coverage has more fabric, making these bottoms appear fuller from the front before the rear thong-cut is revealed.
Fit considerations
Brazilian bikinis are designed for flaunting your best assets. Those with curvy figures can highlight their hourglass shape. The bottoms contour the rear and cut close on the hips to emphasize curves. The flat chested may find the push-up tops more enhancing than traditional triangle tops.
Brazlian bikini styles also cater well to athletic body types without much curve. On petite frames, the high-cut legs create the illusion of longer limbs.
The brief history of Brazilian swimsuits
Brazilian bikini styles emerged onto the swimsuit scene in the 1970s and gained popularity over subsequent decades:
In the 1970s, Brazilian designers began creating minimalist bikini styles for beaches like Ipanema and Copacabana. Two-piece swimsuits got increasingly smaller and more revealing.
By the 1980s, “dental floss” and thong bikinis started emerging in Brazil. Rio de Janeiro’s beach culture embraced these skimpy new swimsuit fashions.
In the 1990s, brands began selling tanga and fio dental style bikini bottoms more widely. This increased the global popularity of the Brazilian bikini’s signature cheeky cut.
The 2000s saw Brazilian bikinis become mainstream and widely embraced, especially after celebrities like Jennifer Lopez sported the style. Designers globally copied the high-cut legs and scooped backs.
Today, Brazilian bikinis remain hugely popular both on beaches and in swimsuit fashion. The style has evolved with new variations like strappy cut-outs and sporty surf designs.
While Brazilian bikini trends have spread worldwide, Brazil remains the epicenter of minimalist swimwear fashion. Rio’s annual swimsuit fashion shows highlight the newest daring Brazilian cuts yearly.
The Brazilian Cut
The revealing Brazilian bikini cut has unique style features that set it apart from traditional bikini styles. Several signature design elements come together to create the distinctive Brazilian shape:
- Low-slung shape – Brazilian bikini bottoms sit significantly lower on the hips compared to regular bikini bottoms, which sit across the hips. The low positioning exposes more of the hip bones and upper glutes.
- Contouring shape – From behind, the Brazilian cut shapes the body’s curves. The straps contour the cheeks while the front adds shape.
- Barely-there tops – Skimpy string bikini tops expose maximum cleavage and full side boob without traditional triangle cups for coverage.
- High-cut legs – Brazilian leg openings cut upward high on the hips, exposing the outer thighs, rear, and hip curves. The high cut leg visually elongates the legs.
- Minimal back coverage – Whether a tiny thong-style back or slightly wider strip of fabric, Brazilian bottoms offer very little rear coverage. The style is designed to show off the rear.
- Side strap strings – Signature side strings curve upwards, accentuating the hips bones and drawing eyes to the leggy, high-cut shape.
- Pushed-up lift – Many Brazilian tops are padded or underwired for lift and cleavage enhancement. The goal is to show off the chest.
Should I Try Brazilian Bathing Suits?
Here are some tips on deciding if this racy style is the right look for you.
You’ll love Brazilian style swimsuits if you:
- Want minimal tan lines: The smaller coverage means you’ll get more even tanning since there are no lines across your stomach, back or rear.
- Feel comfortable showing more skin: Brazilian suits reveal more skin on the back, hips, rear and chest, so you need to feel confident showing off your body in a very skimpy style.
- Want something sexy and stylish: With their barely-there triangular tops and high-cut legs, Brazilian bikinis create a bold, sultry beach look designed to show off your best assets.
- Plan to be in the water a lot: The minimal Brazilian style offers unrestricted movement for swimming and water activities compared to more coverage.
- Want to pack light: Taking up less space than traditional bikinis, these itty-bitty suits are easy to pack for trips.
Don’t try Brazilian swimsuits if you:
- Prefer more coverage and support: The tiny Brazilian triangles offer little structure or coverage, especially for the bust.
- Want to avoid revealing too much: Brazilian suits put nearly all your rear and curves on display, not ideal if you prefer to cover up.
- Are concerned about sun protection: Minimal Brazilian fabric provides less UV protection for your skin than fuller coverage suits.
- Feel uncomfortable in thongs: With rear coverage similar to a thong, the Brazilian style is very revealing in back.
- Plan to be around children: Due to the amount of skin shown, Brazilian suits may be inappropriate around young kids.
