Swimming pretty : the untold story of women in water

Valosik, Vicki2024

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Summary

Since the 19th century, tensions between beauty and strength, aesthetics and athleticism have both impeded and propelled the careers of female swimmers - none more so than synchronised swimmers. In this deeply researched history, Vicki Valosik traces a century of aquatic performance, from Victorian variety theatre and carnival shows to the 1984 elevation of synchronised swimming to Olympic status. Writing in eloquent prose, Valosik shows how early starlets like Lurline the Water Queen and Annette Kellerman boldly challenged restrictive codes set for women in water; more than just bathing beauties, they influenced lifesaving and physical-education programmes, dropped drowning rates and paved the way for new generations of female swimming athletes.