Since the nineteenth century, tensions between beauty and strength, aesthetics and athleticism have both impeded and propelled the careers of female swimmers. Vicki Valosik traces a century of aquatic performance, from Victorian variety theatre and carnival shows to the 1984 elevation of synchronized swimming to Olympic status. Valosik shows how early starlets boldly challenged restrictive codes set for women in water - more than just bathing beauties, they influenced lifesaving and physical-education programs, dropped national drowning rates, and paved the way for new generations of female swimming athletes.
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