Finally its brains over the beauty that has won the battle! Sultry models will no longer have to pose in swimsuits to carry the beauty pageant home. In a groundbreaking decision, Miss America Organization has scraped off ‘the swimsuit round’ Tuesday morning.

The idea behind the decision is to shift the focus from the physical appearance of the models to their mental aptitude and vision in life, as per Gretchen Carlson, who is the board chair for Miss America.

The bikini round is being judged as ‘objectifying display’ world over in the recent past. The organizers of all the major beauty pageants intend to stress on the level of confidence, fitness and fashion sense of the pageants and not to overemphasize on the display of certain body values and benchmarks.

Swimsuit Round to Be Replaced With an Interactive Session

• The most talked-about swimsuit round will be replaced by an interactive session of the contestants with the panel of judges. The interactive session will provide an opportunity for the contestants to focus on their achievements in life, their special experiences and how they will use their achievements and accolades in redefining the role of Miss America in the society. The session aims at bringing out the hidden aspirants and the core value system of the participants which is obviously a lot deeper an aspect as compared to judging a person depending on how they have maintained their physical self.

Evening Gown Round Will Also Be Redefined

• It is also in the pipeline to make amendments in the evening gown round so that the participants are more at ease and that they are able to express themselves better. While the portion of the show which deals with America are making their voices heard and are the talent of the participants will remain the same.

Pageant to Focus on Empowering Women

• Miss America pageant focuses to empower women by selecting winners based on their talent, their thought process, and confidence in life. They intend to select a new generation of women who rewrite new rules for themselves and for society.
• Interestingly Carlson, ex-Miss America, stood firmly against sexual harassment advocating the rights of women who enter into the world of modeling. In the year 2016, Carlson settled a lawsuit against Roger Ailes who is ex-Fox News Chairman.
• When questioned about the organizations’ decision to do away with the swimsuit round, Carlson has shared with the media that she is very happy that the pageant is supporting brains over beauty. This she said was groundbreaking as more and more women in America are standing up for their rights are making their voices heard.
• The present Miss America, Cara Mund, has wholeheartedly welcomed the decision in one of her Twitter posts. She has posted an image where the bikini is shown being blurred by a patch of smoke.

Not Just Miss America Nut In The Year 2016, Miss Teen USA Pageant Also Canceled Its Swimsuit Round.

• Miss teen USA pageant emphasized that the organization aims at giving out a very clear message that women must be not be judged on the way nature has blessed them with their physique but on the basis of how they have developed themselves as a person and culturally how strong they are.  What’s more, the Miss America beauty pageant proudly accepts and announces that they celebrate the strength and inner beauty of the contestants more than their outer appearance.

 The Swimsuit to Be Replaced By Athletic Wear

• The teenagers between 15- to 19 years will be judged in an athletic wear round.
• Opines Paula Shugart, who is the president of Miss Universe Organization, she feels that the fans and audience always recognize themselves with their favorite contestant and these contestants then turn role model for these fans. She questioned that the role of pageants must shift from showcasing women as some object of perfection to a human being who can live and display her talents, hobbies as she likes and not how the society would want to see her.
• Current Miss Teen USA Katherine Haik has shared in an interview that many young women are into athletics these days and their bodies take a certain shape due to the regular workouts and exercises. This shift in the thought process of the organization is commendable as it has given an opportunity to the athletes to join the ramp and present themselves as complete women, women who are beautiful inside-outside.
• Julianne Hough of the Miss Universe organization has accepted that there’s a lot that needs to be done and many more changes that need to be incorporated.

A Model Refused To Wear Bikini Way Back In 1951

• It is rightly said that necessity is the mother of any invention. A model of the beauty pageant actually went ahead and refused to wear a bikini which created waves in the industry and the entire world was in shock of the bold approach of a model to question the panel and the bench itself.
• Interestingly, Yolande Betbeze who was a participant of the Miss America held in the year 1951 that she refused to wear a bikini. It was this bold step taken by her that actually led to the formation of such an important organization which we all know as Miss Universe Organization.
• What actually happened was that she had refused to wear swimsuit after winning her title which annoyed Catalina, who was a prominent swimsuit sponsor at that time. The issue got so big that Catalina actually withdrew her support from Miss America, and she went ahead and started another pageant with the name Miss Universe, which was held in the year 1952 in Long Beach, Calif.
• Well how far this decision will create an impact on the society is yet to be seen but one thing is for sure that the industry which set benchmarks on how women must look, and the body stats they must ideally have is gradually but definitely erasing its standards and redefining them!

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