Miss America is scrapping its swimsuit portion of its pageant and will no longer judge contestants based on physical appearance as the pageant will be more inclusive to women of all sizes, the organization announced Tuesday.
“Miss America will now be a competition, not 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 “Good Morning America”.
“We will no longer judge our candidates on their outward physical appearance. That’s huge,” she said.
Carlson also said the new Miss America competition will be more inclusive to women of “all shapes and sizes.”
In place of the swimsuit contest, the contestants will take part in a live interactive session with the judges.
A statement from the Miss America Organization, said the interactive session is “where she will highlight her achievements and goals in life and how she will use her talents, passion, and ambition to perform the job of Miss America.”
Asides the elimination of swimsuits, the evening gown section of the competition is being revamped as well. Carlson said contestants will now be able to wear “whatever they choose.”
Contestants will also discuss how they would advance their social-impact initiatives during this part of the contest. The talent portion of the competition will remain.