Miss America Has Ended Their Swimsuit and Evening Gown Competitions
The board for the Miss America pagent has decided vote out the swimsuit event and replace it with televised interviews with contestants. The news was met with many emotions by former Miss Americas — mostly positive. Many of the former winners were overjoyed at this news. They believed this decision was long overdue as it was not up to the times of 2018. The competition was seen as sexist and objectifying to women. Gretchen Carlson, the chairwoman of Miss America's board of directors, announced, "We will no longer judge our candidates on their outward physical appearance. That's huge." This is a major step forward in feminism in America.
This move also comes at a crucial time amidst the #MeToo movement. Women (and men) have come out with stories of sexual assault and harassment and have put their foot down. Whoever is crowned “Miss America” is supposed to be a role model for young people, especially women, all across the country and is to advocate for issues such as domestic violence prevention and women’s education. When the competition is focused on trivial matters such as outward appearances then the impact these women can make is lessened.
