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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Maharashtra government reduces Ladki Bahin Yojana stipend for 8 lakh beneficiaries: Report
Mumbai: The Maharashtra government has reportedly cut down on the stipend received by eight lakh beneficiaries of the Mukhya Mantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana.
Under the revised structure, the beneficiaries will receive Rs 500 instead of Rs 1,500 per month because they already receive Rs 1,000 under another government scheme, the Namo Shetkari Mahasanman Nidhi (NSMN), as reported by the Times of India.
The Ladki Bahin scheme has the stipulation that its beneficiaries can avail other government schemes only if the benefit is capped at Rs. 1,500 per month.
“There has been an ongoing scrutiny. First to scan the applications that were sent by the districts to the state headquarters. And then to re-scrutinise the eligible cases,” TOI report quoted an official as saying.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had earlier said he expected the number of beneficiaries to reduce by 10-15 lakh after the scrutiny process. "We are not changing criteria or funding, just ensuring only eligible ones get the stipend," he claimed.
The Opposition remarked that the state government is cheating the women who voted them to power.
The Mahayuti government had launched the Ladki Bahin Yojana in July 2024, where it provides Rs 1,500 per month to eligible women under the scheme. In its poll manifesto ahead of the state Assembly elections, the Mahayuti had promised to increase the amount to Rs 2,100. However, this commitment has not been fulfilled.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra’s debt projection is Rs 9.3 lakh crore for 2025-26. The outlay for the Ladki Bahin scheme was reduced from Rs 46,000 crore to Rs 36,000 crore in the 2025-26 budget.
