A shocker came from Miss Universe Organisation that they shall no more have a swimsuit round in the contest this year. Instead they shall have an Athlete Wear round, which shall be in similar line to Bikini round, however will be more conservative compared to Bikini in it’s outlook. IMG have recently set a new trend of breaking the mould of selecting winners who burns the stage right away and moved to a complete woman who represents values and substance. This move of IMG could be understood considering they are no more looking for a stage Diva anymore.
The new Athletic wear round seems to be focusing more on the fitness of the girls than body show off, it is comparatively less exploitative compared to Swimsuit round.
“I have been an athlete my entire life. As a member of a softball team and a competitive dance team, I spend a lot of time in athletic wear,” says Katherine Haik, the reigning Miss Teen USA.
Miss Universe president Paula Shugart shared in a memo, Miss Teen USA’s shift is meant to “celebrate women’s strength, confidence and beauty” in different, more constructive ways.”This decision reflects an important cultural shift we’re all celebrating that empowers women who lead active, purposeful lives and encourage those in their communities to do the same,” she wrote. “Our hope is that this decision will help all of Miss Teen USA’s fans recognise these young women for the strong, inspiring individuals they are.”
The 2016 Miss Teen USA pageant will be held in Las Vegas on July 30. Katherine Haik shall pass on her crown to her successor at the end of the contest. You can vote for your favourite for at Miss Teen USA 2016 to make her win People’s Choice Award [Click Here].
Our Take on Elimination of Swimsuit from Miss Teen USA 2016
Pros:
- The girls who were previously hesitant to participate in the contest due to body show off will now have an opportunity to participate in the contest.
- Considering the Swimsuit portion, it might not be considered very much family oriented show, hence now families could watch it together, live or on TV.
- This will give a shift from a thought that pageants are just a way of objectifying women to pageants are a way of empowering women where their personality is given more important than their body
Cons:
- One of major TRP gathering points for any pageant is it’s Swimsuit portion, hence Miss Teen USA 2016 might face TRP issues this year.
- The sponsors might back out if they keep in mind the point we have mentioned above.
- Audience is surely going to miss the energy of swimsuit round and it was fun to watch because we could differentiate between the performances of the girls very easily.
- The importance of extremely toned body will slowly diminish and girls may not focus very much on fitness part as Athlete wear can easily be managed to hide imperfection of body, compared to bikini.
Credits: USA Today