‘Just cancel the whole thing.’ Miss America changes spark strong reactions
“There goes any reason for watching that.”
“Women should NOT be objectified.”
The Miss America pageant is eliminating the swimsuit and evening-gown competitions, and while many Yahoo commenters are (very) skeptical of the new look, some are voicing strong support. Gretchen Carlson, chairwoman of the Miss America board of directors, announced the major changes on Good Morning America Tuesday morning.
JUST IN: "We will no longer judge our candidates on their outward physical appearance. That's huge. And that means we will no longer have a swimsuit competition." – @GretchenCarlson on the major changes coming to @MissAmericaOrg https://t.co/ICRIsRN71h pic.twitter.com/IWKcVvCC50
— Good Morning America (@GMA) June 5, 2018
“We will no longer judge our candidates on their outward physical appearance,” Carlson said. “It’s going to be what comes out of their mouth that we’re interested in, when they talk about their social-impact initiatives.”
The GMA story on Yahoo has generated thousands of comments, with the majority of the top reactions saying there is now little reason to continue the competition: “Just cancel the whole thing,” one commenter wrote. “The concept is outdated.” “Well there goes their ratings,” expressed another.
This is disappointing. I think the swimsuit competition shows hard work and dedication. & I feel sad for the future Miss America contestants who won’t get the chance to experience it. https://t.co/t0LHZjBr8E
— Brenna Spencer (@BrennaSpencer) June 6, 2018
But others see it as progress: “About time,” one post reads. “Most people have forgotten that Miss America pageant is not a beauty pageant, it’s a scholarship pageant,” noted one person.
People say miss America removing the swimsuit competition is pointless, as if assigning numerical grades to women parading in bikinis is not the least bit degrading
— MF ANDY (@sober_to_death) June 6, 2018
The big changes will debut with the next Miss America competition on Sept. 9. Miss America was founded in 1921 and has always featured a swimsuit portion.
What do you think?
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