Bikini-clad teens everywhere owe a lot to Annette Funicello. The actress, along with actor Frankie Avalon, starred in a series of Beach Party movies in the 1960s that depicted teens frolicking in the sand and living it up.
Up until she starred in the films, Funicello, a former Disney star, had been told to dress modestly and, most importantly, to keep her navel covered. But in the first of the Beach Party movies, she appeared wearing a pink two-piece swimsuit, sparking a fashion trend seen from then on at every real beach party in America.
