How Miss Americas Swimsuits Are Really About Politics, Not Gender

Women, intuitively, were more likely to applaud the end of judges’ scoring of women on how they look in swimsuits: More than two-thirds (67 percent) were behind it compared to 43 percent of men. Nearly three in 10 men (29 percent) didn’t support the move.

The Miss America Organization “is allowing candidates to define their beauty through their accomplishments, their ability to command attention and defend their opinions,” a spokesperson told Morning Consult in an email this month. “We don’t feel young women of today should have to walk around in four inch heels and a bikini to exhibit their intelligence, talent and what they want to do with the job of Miss America in advancing their own personal social impact initiative.”

But not everyone is cheering these changes.

Four of the nine members of the Miss America Organization board quit or were forced to resign this summer, reportedly over the demise of the swimsuit portion of the competition. Around the time this news was reported, 22 leaders from state-level pageants and the District of Columbia called for a vote of no confidence in new chairwoman Gretchen Carlson and the resignation of president and Chief Executive Regina Hopper and the entire Miss America board over the direction of the organization.

Indeed, although most Americans support the move away from the bikini contest, public responses on deeper questions about female objectification and sexual exploitation start to get more complicated. And experts dismissed the idea that removing formal scoring for appearance meant Miss America contestants wouldn’t be judged on their looks.

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