Miss America Says Bye to Bikini

It is for the first time, in nearly a century old history of Miss America contest, that the contestants will not participate in the swimsuit segment this year, redefining Miss America organization’s new role in an era of gender equality and women empowerment.

Swimsuits and Miss America are synonymous to each other since the beginning of the contest in the year 1921 at the Atlantic City. But then, it started as one piece bathing suits but over the years it gradually evolved as the hottest segment with women in revealing bikinis.

Miss America Organization has taken this decision to scrap the swimsuit segment with the Miss America contest of this year starting September. The organization Chairman Gretchen Carlson said, “I’ve talked to tons of young people who’ve said to me, ‘I’d love to be a part of that program, but I don’t want to parade around in a swimsuit”. Gretchen was the Miss America in 1989.

The boards of directors of the organization comprising of nine members, seven of whom are now women have unanimously agreed to the change in March this year. But officially the decision is declared now after all formalities.

A former Fox TV Anchor Gretchen Carlson, who holds a prominent position as a voice of women’s rights in the workplace, after she filed a harassment case in 2016 against Fox Chairman Roger Ailes, said the competition will focus more on participants intelligence, ideas, and talents and said, “We are not going to judge you on your outward appearance. We are moving it forward and evolving it in this Cultural Revolution”.

In the past six months, the Miss America Organization has undergone a rapid change. Carlson was made chairwoman in January this year and several women were appointed in the highest positions of the organization. These changes in the board were made after series of emails emerged involving a former chief executive Sam Haskell, who made disrespectful and sexy comments on former pageant winners.

As soon as Carlson resumed as the head of the organization she bought an advertising agency Young & Rubicam for the branding of the organization. The agency conducted a series of interviews stakeholders, board members, and former pageant winners and came to the conclusion that Miss America needs modernization so that it can relate to the today’s younger women.

After their research, Young & Rubicam suggested some recommendations to the Miss American organization, which includes focusing on the achievements of former winners and the agency also suggested that the swimsuit segment can distract the audience from the core message.

Miss America Organization is trying to make the announcement for more than two decades but couldn’t do so. In the early 1990s, the organization acknowledged that there is a controversy over the swimsuit portion and even asked viewers to vote, whether to keep it or not in the pageant.

Miss America contest of the year is starting from September 9th in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Miss America contest started as a beachside beauty contest in the year 1921 by Atlantic City in an effort to extend the summer vacation season and to attract tourists.