Miss World abandons swimsuit competition: Redefining beauty pageants

“We don’t look at her butt. We want to hear her speak.” With these words, the Miss World pageant organizers confirmed that the swimsuit competition, which has been the most controversial, will be eliminated from the contest next year.

Since 1951, Miss World has been held with contestants from 120 countries. At that time, there was a swimsuit competition. In recent years, the Miss World Organizing Committee has continuously emphasized the message of “beauty for a noble cause”. Now, they realize that in a radical way by completely eliminating the swimsuit competition – usually the most attractive and anticipated competition in beauty contests.

The information was announced by the President of Miss World Organization, Ms. Julia Morley, last weekend, within the framework of this year's contest. This decision will be implemented from the 2015 contest.

Because "beauty queens should not be beauty queens"

Those who think that beauty pageants are purely about beauty will need to think again, as the organizers of beauty pageants themselves deny this. Chris Wilmer, the director of Miss World America and Miss America, told ABC News: “Miss World dropped the swimsuit competition because that’s not the direction they’re going.”

“Miss World is not just a beauty contest, but also beauty for a bigger purpose. Showing off in a swimsuit is not one of those goals,” Wilmer said. Moreover, the organizers of this contest plan to focus more on the dedication of the contestants in volunteer activities.

Accordingly, Miss World “should be an ambassador rather than a beauty queen”, as Wilmer said. “That is a higher goal and also what a girl should do if she wears the Miss World crown” - he affirmed. In the history of the contest, the reward for the winner is the title, the crown, money and fame, but the responsibility is not small.

This decision does not mean that swimsuits will be completely eliminated from the Miss World stage, however. The pageant will still have a Miss Beach Round, but Wilmer explained that “it will be more of a fashion contest than a swimsuit show.” The round will be designed to reduce the focus on the contestants’ bodies.

Contestant Valerie Weigmann (Philippines) won the swimsuit competition at Miss World 2014.

Misses also study at Harvard or run for Congress.

According to Mic.com, this is a change in the right direction for the pageant's organizers. "A definite step forward in a field that has been criticized for promoting unhealthy beauty standards and exploiting female body images" - the site wrote.

Meanwhile, because of the body-exposing nature of this round, beauty based on cosmetics and makeup becomes the center of the contest. A contestant can shine or be “drowned” depending on makeup, as was the case with the recent Miss Vietnam.

According to Daily Dot writer EJ Dickson, eliminating swimsuit competitions would not simply reduce the focus on physical beauty. Eliminating the competition would increase the public’s attention on the contestants’ dedication and independence. Dickson points out that many contestants are actually well-educated, articulate, and talented—but these qualities are not considered the main criteria in the contests.

Therefore, the idea that “beauty pageant contestants are shallow and boring” is actually an “inaccurate and offensive” stereotype. The New York Times also concluded that many beauty queens later went on to study at prestigious Ivy League universities and run for the US Congress.

In 2014, former Miss America contestant Nancy Redd (a Harvard graduate) wrote in a New York Times article that beauty pageants provide a great opportunity for girls to speak out on social issues. “Being associated with the Miss America brand allows me to influence young people from a position of respect,” she declared.

According to TTVH