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The 1920s Star Arrested For Wearing A Swimsuit
Annette Kellerman went from adversity to triumph — with jail time in between
Annette Kellerman (1886–1975) was no ordinary Aussie girl.
As a child she was diagnosed with rickets, and had to wear painful steel leg braces to walk: her parents consulted numerous doctors, and they all suggested swimming as a means of strengthening her legs.
Annette must have really taken the doctors’ recommendation to heart, because she not only overcame her disability but, in 1902, at the age of fifteen, she became the female state champion for the 100 yards and set a world record (33:49) for the mile. She had no reservations about competing against men and was often victorious when racing them, but curiously enough, she wrote in one of her books: “At first I was terrified of the water.”
From 1902 to 1904 she performed diving demonstrations in Melbourne and achieved some pretty hefty feats of endurance swimming; she also participated in swimming shows in a glass tank at the Exhibition Aquarium, and performed dressed as a mermaid. Even the Prince of Wales (who would later become King George V) came to see her practice, and when she was told her usual swimsuit — which left her thighs exposed — was unacceptable for a royal audience, she had to improvise and…
