Miss America contestants will no longer be judged on appearance

‘Miss Texas’ Margana Wood speaks in the Q&A portion of the
2018 Miss America contest

Contestants in the Miss America pageant will not
longer have to model a swimsuit or don a ballgown, after organisers
decided to phase out the appearance-based elements of the
contest.

Instead of modelling swimwear, state champions “will
be asked to demonstrate their passion, intelligence and overall
understanding of the job of Miss America” in a live interview with
judges, ABC reports.

The eveningwear round, another traditional
component of the event, will also be retooled to ask contestants to
“wear attire that makes them feel confident, expresses their
personal style and shows how they hope to advance the role of Miss
America”.

Gretchen Carlson, chair of Miss America’s board
of directors, confirmed in an appearance on Good Morning America on
Tuesday that participants will no longer be judged on their
physical appearances.

“We will no longer judge our candidates on their
outward physical appearance,” she said. “That’s huge.”

She added that new Miss America competition will
also be more inclusive to women of “all shapes and
sizes”.

Founded in 1921, Miss America has attracted the
ire of feminists for decades, accused of encouraging the
objectification of women and promoting narrow beauty
standards.

The changes are part of an ongoing attempt to
move the annual contest away from its roots as a beauty pageant and
into the 21st century.

Carlson is one of three women who now lead the
organisation, whose senior male executives resigned in December
2017 after it was revealed that “leaders and employees had sent
emails disparaging pageant contestants”, CNN reports, “including references to their
weight and sex lives”.

A former Miss America winner herself, she is
“outspoken advocate for victims of sexual harassment and a champion
of the #MeToo movement”, says ABC.