A groundbreaking history of how women found synchronicity―and power―in water. “If you’re not strong enough to swim fast, you’re probably not strong enough to swim ‘pretty,’” said a young Esther Williams to theater impresario Billy Rose. Since the nineteenth century, tensions between beauty and strength, aesthetics and athleticism have both impeded and propelled the careers of female swimmers―none more so than synchronized swimmers, for whom Williams is often considered godmother. In this revelatory history, Vicki Valosik traces a century of aquatic performance, from vaudeville to the Olympic arena, and brings to life the colorful cast of characters whose “pretty swimming” not only laid the groundwork for an altogether new sport but forever changed women’s relationships with water. Williams, who became a Hollywood sensation for her splashy “aquamusicals,” was just one in a long, bedazzled line of swimmers who began their careers as athletes but found greater opportunity, and often social acceptance, in the world of show business. Early starlets like Lurline the Water Queen performed “scientific” swimming, a set of moves previously only practiced by men―including Benjamin Franklin―that focused on form and exhibited mastery in the water. Demonstrating their fancy feats in aquariums and water tanks rolled onto music hall stages, these women stunned Victorian audiences with their physical dexterity and defied society’s rigid expectations of what was proper and possible for their sex. Far more than bathing beauties, they ushered in sensible swimwear and influenced lifesaving and physical education programs, helping to drop national drowning rates and paving the way for new generations of female athletes. When a Chicago physical educator matched their aquatic movements to music in the 1920s, young girls flocked to take part in “synchronized swimming.” But despite overwhelming love from audiences and the Olympic ambitions of its practitioners, “synchro” was long perceived as little more than entertaining pageantry, and its athletes would face a battle against the current to earn a spot at the highest echelons of sport. Now, on the fortieth anniversary of synchronized swimming’s elevation to Olympic status, Swimming Pretty honors its incredible history of grit, glamor, and sheer athleticism. 60 illustrations "In Swimming Pretty , Valosik puts the sport in a wide historical frame, showing how the very idea of women going into the water has both reflected and driven social change . . . Swimming Pretty features plenty of ‘who knew?’ moments and a teeming cast of characters." ― Jennifer Schuessler, New York Times "[An] enlightening, well-researched history . . . As [Valosik's] book reveals in fascinating detail, although women’s access to the water has been mired for centuries in gender politics . . . women have transformed swimming for everyone in fundamental ways." ― Sarah L. Kaufman, Wall Street Journal "An astonishingly comprehensive account of women’s aquatic pursuits . . . Valosik interrogates the porous boundary between sport and spectacle, a thin line that women’s swimming, in particular, has always navigated . . . By swimming ‘pretty,’ Valosik shows, women were able to subtly showcase their prowess, helping normalize women’s physical activity―and athletic excellence." ― Sophia Stewart, Atlantic "Valosik, a masters synchronized swimmer and writing instructor, delves into the history of a sport that has long been seen as more beautiful than athletic. Her book shows that it is both." ― Washington Post "Journalist Vicki Valosik, herself a master synchronized swimmer, knows that the sport involves more than waterproof makeup and spangled costumes. Her new book, Swimming Pretty: The Untold Story of Women in Water , traces the history of the sport with the precision and grace of an Esther Williams tableau . . . As the 2024 Games begin next month in Paris, Swimming Pretty can be a great primer on a spectacular, strenuous sport." ― Bethanne Patrick, Los Angeles Times "[Valosik] admirably unravels a centuries-spanning narrative about synchronized swimming’s rise from music-hall water tanks to the Olympics . . . A timely tribute to the glamour and athleticism of the pioneering women of synchronized swimming and their efforts to legitimize it as a sport." ― Library Journal "Vicki Valosik's mesmerizing new history of synchronized swimming...traces the origins of aquatic performance, from vaudevile stages to the Olympics." ― Emily Burack, Town & Country " Swimming Pretty ...[is] a feminist look at a sexist history." ― Sarah Vincent, Good Housekeeping "Groundbreaking . . . This is a must read for any aquatic athlete, but also for those hoping to learn more about a beautiful sport . . . a perfect read in an Olympic year." ― Swimming World " Swimming Pretty unearths the history of female swimmers... the author probes the push and pull between beauty and strength, art and athle