“I Wear Them for Halloween” (Exclusive)

The ‘Baywatch’ Star Tells PEOPLE Why She Kept Her Beloved Red Swimsuits And Why She Still Wears Them For Special Occasions

Traci Bingham’s iconic red swimsuit is still in her wardrobe and is known for certain special occasions, especially Halloween.

Speaking exclusively to PEOPLE at the After Baywatch: Moment in the Sun opens in Los Angeles in August Bay Watch The 56-year-old alum revealed he still has his red lifeguard from his time on the show.

“I still have my one-piece,” she revealed, adding that she even framed the iconic swimsuit. “I think I was the first one to frame it, and I stole a few, and I didn’t just stick the reds. I stuck the blacks, too.”

Since she has more than one saved from her years on the NBC lifeguard drama, Bingham tells PEOPLE she feels comfortable wearing them as a Halloween costume, for photo shoots and more.

“I try them on. I wear them for Halloween. I wear them for friends. I wear them for photo shoots,” she said.

“Sometimes I wear them because we don’t have those days where you feel like you’ve eaten too much and, well, you probably look amazing, or you’ve gained weight or you’ve lost weight. That’s my indicator that I put on to show if I need to lose weight or gain weight,” Bingham joked. “If it fits, great. If not, then I’m in trouble. But who’s going to be this small forever?”

Bingham appeared Bay Watch from 1996 to 1998, starring in seasons 7 and 8 as Jordan Tate, the good friend of Donna D’Errico’s character, Donna Marco.

Elsewhere in her conversation with PEOPLE, the actress recalled her big break, when she landed the role of Jordan in the ’90s.

“It was a very long and grueling process, but I did it,” he recalled of the audition process. “And when I booked it, I was in a room with all the producers, directors, writers, stylists, it was crazy. And I was so nervous.”

When Bingham later got the call telling her the good news had been broadcast, it was an emotional moment for her. “I cried and then I screamed, and then I called my family, and then the mayor wanted to do a Traci Bingham parade,” she added.

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Related: Bay Watch Star Traci Bingham Knew High School Mates Matt Damon & Ben Affleck Would Be ‘Huge’ (Exclusive)

“It was a really big thing,” Bingham continued. “I knew at that moment that I had made it and that I had done something great being the youngest of seven children. It was very exciting for my family. It was a dream come true.”

For Bingham, becoming the first woman of color to wear iconic red Bay Watch bathing suit and appearing as the main character in the hit series was one of her proudest moments.

“It was considered an all-white show, and you didn’t see people of color on that show. I mean, there was one other man, one person of color, but as far as a woman wearing that swimsuit, there was ‘none.’ he remembered

“The NAACP, I had heard, fell Bay Watch that there were no women of color on the show, lifeguards. And so they made changes,” Bingham continued. “It was a big move and I’m honored that I was able to be that person and make that change.”

After Baywatch: Moment in the Sun — the four-part docuseries featuring interviews with Bingham, Pamela Anderson, Nicole Eggert, Carmen Electra, Jeremy Jackson and David Hasselhoff — is now streaming on Hulu.

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Read the original article on People.