Gretchen Carlson, chair of the Board of Trustees of the Miss America Organization, appeared on ABC's "Good Morning America" on Tuesday morning. She announced some major changes that are coming to the 97-year-old competition that will affect contestants from all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The competition will be much different from what it was when Carlson won the title in 1989. An advocate of the #MeToo movement, Carlson hopes to empower women and let them bring their passion to the competition, breaking away from the event's mold.
1. Name changes
The competition will no longer be referred to as a beauty pageant. From now on, it will be called Miss America Competition. It might take a while for the public to stop saying pageant. However, it is likely that the public will get used to the name change.
JUST IN: "We will no longer judge our candidates on their outward physical appearance. That's huge. And that means we will no longer have a swimsuit competition." - @GretchenCarlson on the major changes coming to @MissAmericaOrg https://t.co/ICRIsRN71h pic.twitter.com/IWKcVvCC50
— Good Morning America (@GMA) June 5, 2018
2. Swimsuit portion will be eliminated
The swimsuit portion will be eliminated. Carlson stated that the swimsuit part of the competition did not receive as much recognition as people thought.
She said the talent part usually gets the highest rating.
BREAKING: Miss America scraps swimsuit competition & will now only judge contestants on their brains & charity work, not their beauty. This is not a joke. pic.twitter.com/IVVXaYwDw3
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) June 5, 2018
3. Evening gown competition will be eliminated
The organization is doing away with the evening gown portion of the competition.
Contestants will be allowed to wear attire that makes them feel comfortable and confident. This will be a way for them to express their personal fashion style.
#MissAmerica's major makeover: big changes coming to the 97-year-old competition. pic.twitter.com/TJXOaE6zio
— Good Morning America (@GMA) June 5, 2018
#MissAmerica's major makeover: big changes coming to the 97-year-old competition. pic.twitter.com/TJXOaE6zio
— Good Morning America (@GMA) June 5, 2018
4. New rules for judging
Contestants will no longer be judged on their physical appearance.
They will be judged on how they perform their individual talent and how well they do in a live interview segment with the judges. Contestants will discuss how they plan to advance the causes they have selected as well as how they will demonstrate the overall importance of being Miss America.
5. New board of directors
The organization selected a new board of directors last January. It is now comprised of all females. This is the first time in the nearly 100-year history of the competition that there has been an all-female leadership team.
Gretchen Carlson is the current chair of the Board of Trustees and the first former Miss America to serve as its leader. Other former winners on the board include 1998 winner Katherine Shindle, 2000 winner Heather French Henry, and 2012 winner Laura Kaeppeler.
Miss America CEO is Regina Hopper.
The 2019 Miss America Competition will take place in the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey and will air live on ABC on Sunday, September 9, at 9 p.m. EST. The main event follows three nights of preliminary competition that is scheduled for September 5-7. The Miss America Parade will be on the boardwalk on September 8.
