What Makes the Baywatch Bathing Suit Timeless?

The red Baywatch bathing suit — for both men and women — remains forever relevant for several reasons.

First, consider the opening montage of every Baywatch episode. The scenes were slowed down to parade around lifeguards running across the beach, bare-naked except for these form-fitting garments. For women especially, and especially for the singular Pamela Anderson, the suit bottom was cut high enough to leave little to the imagination. Which of course was the point: Sex sells, and nobody sold it better in the 90s than Baywatch.

Second, consider the consistency. Every lifeguard, no matter the season — or even the movie — wore the same iconic outfit. The color stayed bright and solid, the cut stayed tailored and tight, and the people stayed beautiful and tanned. That's smart branding.

Finally, consider the design. It's deceptively simple: Solid red with a yellow-and-white logo. Not only does that look stand out on a beach; it also brings to mind the pulchritudinous people who made it famous. In other words: If you’re wearing an all-red suit, you’re sending out an unmistakable message to the world: I’m a Baywatch babe. Who wouldn’t want that association?