Swimsuit Competition Stripped From Miss America Pageant

Miss America contestants will no longer have to reveal themselves in two-piece swimsuits: the near-century-old pageant is eliminating the traditional swimsuit competition from this year's contest.

RELATED: 
UN President-Elect: 'Gender Rights Are A Priority'

The event was founded as an outdoor swimsuit pageant intended to attract visitors to Atlantic City as the summer season waned. Organizers say it will no longer be referred to as a 'pageant' either, but as a 'competition.'

President and CEO of the Miss America Organization, Regina Hopper, told Reuters: "We're doing this because of the young women who are growing up in a cultural environment where they say: 'But I too want to be able to speak my mind. I too want to be judged, if judged at all, on my intellect and my ability and my dreams and my goals.'"

Hopper said she wants the organization to become a "platform upon which young women can advance themselves."

The change, which the organization has been pressured to make for over a decade, is in part because of the #MeToo movement. Hopper said it was "more the cultural atmosphere that is at play now."

Former Miss America turned chair of the Board of Trustees, Gretchen Carlson told ABC the shift was made to attract potential contestants. She said she had talked to many women who were interested in the pageant but "didn't want to be out there in high heels and a swimsuit."

"We are now open, inclusive and transparent and I want to inspire thousands of young people across this country to come and be a part of our program," Carlson said, noting the organization wants to award scholarships based on women's accomplishments and "talents" more than their physiques.

Hopper told Reuters: "A candidate will no longer be judged on her physical beauty. It's about what is in her brain and what's in her heart; what her passion is for a scholarship and education."

The Miss America Organization said the swimsuit competition will be replaced by a panel interview. The evening gown component of the competition will remain.

Several members of the organization resigned in December following media reports that former executives had sent lewd emails about past winners.