Miss America to end swimsuit competition
Los Angeles, June 5: Miss America will no longer have its contestants compete in swimsuits and will stop referring to itself as a pageant. This is an effort to move the 97-year-old event forward in the #MeToo era.
Gretchen Carlson, the new chairperson of the board of trustees for the Miss America Organization, announced the changes on "Good Morning America" on Tuesday as part of the competition's attempt to shift its emphasis away from comparing women's looks and bodies, reports ew.com.
"We will no longer judge our candidates on their outward physical appearance," said Carlson, who was crowned Miss America in 1989.
"That's huge."
The re-imagined event will feature "a live interactive session with the judges" in place of a swimsuit competition and contestants can opt to wear any attire that makes them feel comfortable and confident during what typically is the evening gown portion, according to ABC News.
The changes will be in place for the next Miss America competition, set for September 9 in Atlantic City.
"It's going to be what comes out of their mouth that we're interested in when we talk about their social impact initiatives," Carlson said.
Carlson emphasized the Miss America Organisation's work is to provide women with educational scholarships and opportunities. Contestants between the ages of 17 and 25 from all 50 states and the District of Columbia can compete.
The change comes amid a national reckoning of sexual harassment and assault in the workplace - a conversation Carlson herself helped draw attention to when she spoke out against and sued her former boss, former Fox News Chairman and CEO Roger Ailes, for sexual harassment in 2016.
"This is a new beginning, and change can sometimes be difficult, but I know a lot about change," she said on "Good Morning America".
In the years since Carlson spoke out against her former employer, more women have stepped forward to share their stories and demand an end to sexual harassment and assault in the workplace as the #MeToo movement garnered widespread attention.
Miss America itself came under fire in the winter when a report exposed emails from former Miss America CEO Sam Haskell that included disparaging language about contestants, their bodies and their sex lives.
Haskell resigned from his position, and so did the organisation's chairperson, Lynn Weidner.
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Protesters storm residences of 2 Manipur ministers, 3 MLAs over killing of 3 persons, curfew clamped
Imphal, Nov 16: Protesters stormed the residences of two ministers and three MLAs in Manipur's Imphal on Saturday, demanding justice for the murder of three persons in Jiribam district, police said.
The mob attacks on legislators' houses prompted the Imphal West administration to impose prohibitory orders in the district for an indefinite period.
According to an order issued by Imphal West District Magistrate Th Kirankumar, the curfew was imposed from 4.30 pm on Saturday.
A mob stormed the residence of Health and Family Welfare Minister Sapam Ranjan in Lamphel Sanakeithel area, a senior officer said.
Lamphel Sanakeithel Development Authority's representative David told reporters, "Sapam assured us that the issues related to the killing of three persons will be discussed at a cabinet meeting and that the minister will tender his resignation if the government fails to honour the sentiment of the public."
Protesters also stormed the house of Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution Minister L Susindro Singh, another senior officer said.
Agitators in Sagolband area of Imphal West district gathered in front of the residence of BJP legislator RK Imo, who is also the son-in-law of Chief Minister N Biren Singh, and raised slogans demanding an "appropriate response from the government" over the killing of three persons and urging the authorities to "arrest the culprits within 24 hours".
Protesters, who had come to meet Keishamthong constituency's independent legislator Sapam Nishikanta Singh at his residence at Tiddim Road, targeted the office building of a local newspaper owned by him after they were told that the legislator was not present in the state, a senior officer said.
The mob destroyed some temporary structures in front of the office building, he claimed.
Three bodies, suspected to be of six missing people from Jiribam district, were found near the confluence of the Jiri and Barak rivers along the Manipur-Assam border on Friday night.
The bodies of a woman and two children were found about 16 km from Borobekra in Jiribam district, close to the location where the six people went missing on Monday.
Mob attacks the residence of BJP MLA Sapam Kunjakesore, also known as Keba, in Tera Sapam Leikai. They set fire to vehicles and vandalized the residence. Other MLAs, including Sapam Nishikanta of Keisamthong and Sagolband MLA RK Imo, also stormed the residence.
— Yaqut Ali (@aliyaqut) November 16, 2024
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