No more bikinis, trikinis or any other swimming suit will be featured as part of the Miss Teen USA competition. The organizers of the event made the decision to enhance “women’s strength, confidence, and beauty.”
Instead of being judged in swimsuits, the 51 teenage contestants will walk on the runways with a new athletic outfit according to a spokeswoman for the organization.
USA Today reported that this new change would be visible in the next competition to be held July 30 in Las Vegas.
“This decision reflects an important cultural shift we’re all celebrating that empowers women who lead active, purposeful lives and encourage those in their communities to do the same,” stated the president of the parent Miss Universe Organization, Paula Shugart, in a letter to state directors.
A new competition to celebrate women’s active lives
The organization hopes that this new change will help Miss Teen USA’s followers to look at their favorites as dynamic and inspiring young women.
Reigning Miss Teen USA Katherine Haik agrees with this new change since she says it is an excellent idea to want to celebrate the active lives of young women nowadays. She stated that she had been a softball player her entire life, and therefore she had to spend a lot of time wearing athletic outfits.
With this new policy, the organization shows their support for feminism and equality. This new athletic completions intends to looks to be less exploitative and more focused on encouraging physical fitness in the younger participants.
They say that the swimsuit competition has been criticized for scrutiny and objectifying women. Shugart explained that bathing suit completion was meant to show off fitness, fashion, and the competitor’s confidence. Their aim is not to show off certain body standards.
Hosts and producer had already hinted the beauty pageants organization’s new changes regarding the swimsuit competition. In an interview with USA Today, Julianne Hough had said earlier this month that variations in the beauty pageant were about to come in the works for the competition.
She stated that the Miss Universe organization expected to give a new vision to its pageants on health and wellness. She said that part of that “confidence” the group is promoting is linked to the fact of being proud of how hard pageants have worked to get the body they have by going to the gym every day or eating healthy. She said that the swimming suit was more than just going to the beach.
Source: The Washington Post