Miss America Is Ditching The Swimsuit Competition

The Miss America Organization is rocking the boat. And by that I mean, they’re changing the pageant. They just announced that they will no longer judge the competitions based on physical appearance, which was OBVIOUSLY a big determining factor in the past.

“We are no longer a pageant,” Gretchen Carlson, the first former Miss America to be named chair of the Board of Trustees of the Miss America Organization, said on “GMA.” “We are a competition.”

Yep. That’s former Fox News host Gretchen Carlson.

COMING UP ON @GMA AT 7AM: @GretchenCarlson on major changes coming to @MissAmericaOrg https://t.co/r7Q7ZlmsqX pic.twitter.com/s6ClNhb2Hg

— ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) June 5, 2018

In place of the swimsuit portion of the competition, Miss America contestants will now take part in a live interactive session with the judges, according to the organization.

The contestants from all 50 states and the District of Columbia will be asked to demonstrate their passion, intelligence and overall understanding of the job of Miss America.

The organization is also getting rid of the evening gown portion of the competition and instead asking contestants to wear attire that makes them feel confident, expresses their personal style and shows how they hope to advance the role of Miss America.

“We’ve heard from a lot of young women who say, ‘We’d love to be a part of your program but we don’t want to be out there in high heels and a swimsuit,’ so guess what, you don’t have to do that anymore,” Carlson said. “Who doesn’t want to be empowered, learn leadership skills and pay for college and be able to show the world who you are as a person from the inside of your soul.”

She continued, “That’s what we’re judging them on now.”

I mean…I get that. But I also get that beauty pageants focus heavily on physical appearance. Those girls work overtime to achieve the perfect bod and willingly show it off. That’s a huge draw for these competitions. I don’t watch them, but I’m sure there are a lot of people who only watch them FOR that reason. And the women who compete do so willingly, so the changes FEEL a little virtue-signaly.

As someone who doesn’t care about these pageants, whatever. They can do whatever they want. It probably won’t help viewership, but that’s on them. And even though they SAY they’re no longer focusing on physical appearance, I highly doubt they’re suddenly going to have hideous contestants. Let’s be real here.

Reaction is all over the place.

Miss America dropping swimsuit competition https://t.co/ZdVzkxqIYP

— Fox News (@FoxNews) June 5, 2018

Miss America will no longer judge contestants based on their physical appearance. They are eliminating swimsuit and evening gown competitions in favor of judging women based on their confidence & self-esteem. I swear to God. This is a real story. https://t.co/cG7xzjUwVV

— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) June 5, 2018

Miss America, which is a beauty contest where women are judged on their looks will no longer judge contestants on their appearance… That would be like having no music at a music festival…

— Riya sharma (@riyasharma266) June 5, 2018

Sooner or later the Miss America Pageant will be renamed to the “Don’t Assume My Gender Pageant” and will include Transvestites.

— Students For Trump (@TrumpStudents) June 5, 2018

Breaking! Miss America is scrapping bathing suit,high heels & sparkly gowns. No more lookism or sizeism. Modestly clad, variously-proportioned young women will be judged on their charity work & empowerment initiatives. Why can’t old women compete? #Ageism https://t.co/rIAVFVanDl

— Christina Sommers (@CHSommers) June 5, 2018

Miss America to ditch the swimsuit & evening gown competitions & will no longer judge based on appearance. Why not just break down all the barriers and let men compete, too? #ToddStarnesShow

— toddstarnes (@toddstarnes) June 5, 2018

The fact that so many men are so outraged about the Miss America pageant dropping the swimsuit competition shows exactly why it needs to be dropped.

— Emilia (@PoliticalEmilia) June 5, 2018

You do realize that the Miss America decision opens the door to cis men competing.

— Jonah Goldberg (@JonahNRO) June 5, 2018

Your take? And goooo!

h/t ABC News