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The Miss America competition will no longer judge women based on their physical appearance. On Tuesday morning, it was announced on Good Morning America that Miss America is doing away with its swimsuit competition. The decision was made to be “more inclusive and empowering for all women.”
“We are no longer a pageant,” Gretchen Carlson, the chair of the Board of Trustees for the Miss America Organization, said. “We are a competition. We will no longer judge our candidates on their outward physical appearance. That’s huge.”
From ABC News:
In place of the swimsuit portion of the competition, the women 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 during this part of the competition.
Carlson, who was crowned Miss America in 1989, has been active in the #MeToo movement. She previously settled a lawsuit against Fox News chairman and CEO Roger Ailes.
Miss America 2018 was Cara Mund of North Dakota. The 2019 competition will be held on Sept. 9, 2018, in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
