In 1919, 20 special deputies called "Sheriffettes" were sworn in to monitor the swimwear of the bathers at Rockaway Beach, Queens, New York. This was the latest salvo in an ongoing battle between women and beach authorities — and not just there.



That same year, a policeman was reprimanded by a judge for arresting a woman who wore a swimsuit under a skirt and sweater. She was walking along Ocean Parkway with her husband and was told to go home and change into complete street attire. The policeman allegedly looked under her skirt to check what she was wearing. The judge told him he had no business to do so and dismissed the charge.

In 1921, a bather in Atlantic City, New Jersey was arrested for wearing her stockings rolled below her knees and refusing to pull them up. She retaliated during her arrest by punching the officer in the eye.

A 1921 Hawaiian law was enacted that no one over 14 years of age could appear in a swimsuit unless "covered suitably by an outer garment reaching at least to the knees." Women began to wear towels around their waists or wrap raincoats around themselves.