“We will no longer judge our candidates on their outward physical appearance.”
Danny Moloshok / Reuters
The Miss America contest is scrapping its iconic swimsuit competition and will no longer judge contestants based on physical appearance, the organization announced early Tuesday. Gretchen Carlson, the chairwoman of the board of trustees for the Miss America Organization, announced the move on Good Morning America, saying it was a direct result of the #MeToo movement. “We are no longer a pageant, we are a competition," said Carlson. “We will no longer judge our candidates on their outward physical appearance. That’s huge, and that means that we will no longer have a swimsuit competition and that is official as of Sept. 9, when we have our competition in Atlantic City.” Carlson was crowned Miss America in 1989 and has more recently been an outspoken advocate for victims of sexual harassment and a champion of the #MeToo movement. She went on: “It’s going to be what comes out of [the candidates’] mouths that we’re interested in, when they talk about their social-impact initiatives.”
