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The modern bikini is introduced to the public by French designer Louis Réard at the Piscine Molitor, a popular public pool in Paris, modeled by a 19 year old French showgirl named Micheline Bernardini. Reportedly The design was named "bikini" after the Bikini Atoll, where nuclear tests were being conducted at the time, reflecting the "small and devastating" nature of the swimsuit. Two-piece swimsuits had existed previously, though they typically covered the bikini was a two-piece swimsuit that revealed the wearer's navel, which was considered scandalous at the time.