Leotard

A leotard is a skin-tight one-piece garment that covers the torso and body but leaves the legs free. It was made famous by the French acrobatic performer Jules L?otard (1839-1870), about whom the song "The Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze" was written.

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The first known use of the name leotard came only in 1886, many years after L?otard's death. L?otard himself called the garment a maillot, which in French has now come to mean a swimsuit.

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Leotards are worn by acrobats, gymnasts, dancers and circus performers both as practice garments and performance costumes. They are often worn together with tights.

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Leotards are entered through the neck. (Constrast with bodysuits, which generally have snaps at the crotch, allowing the garment to be pulled on over the head.) Scoop-necked leotards have wide neck openings and are held in place by the elasticity of the garment. Others are crew-necked or turtle-necked and close at the back of the neck with a zipper or snaps.

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There are sleeveless, short-sleeved and long-sleeved leotards. A variation is the unitard, which also covers the legs.

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Leotards can also be worn as lingerie and are eroticised by some people, often as part of a wider spandex fetishism.

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Skin-tight: link...

One-piece garment: A one-piece garment is a garment that forms a complete outfit in one piece. One-piece garments may be worn as lingerie or as outerwear....

1839: 1839 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar)....