Miss America Eliminates Swimsuits And Won't Judge On Looks

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) — After an email scandal last year that resulted in a change of leadership, the women that now run Miss America are giving the competition a major makeover.

They are dropping the swimsuit competition in favor of an interactive session between judges and contestants in what's being called "Miss America 2.0".

The group announced Tuesday it is eliminating the swimsuit competition and making changes to its evening wear section, no longer requiring contestants to wear gowns.

Today's decision blows the old days and old ways away. It was built as a bathing beauty contest 97 years ago, but Miss America is now saying "bye bye bikini" and shifting the focus from beauty to brains.

Gretchen Carlson, a former Miss America who leads the group's board of trustees, says it will no longer judge women on their appearance. Rather, she says, it's what comes out of their mouths that counts.

"Good for you Miss America," said Andrea Madho of Park Slope.

"It shouldn't be about how good you look in a bikini it should be about how intelligent you are," said Travis Ryder of Washington Heights.

"Do you think it will impact people watching it?" asked CBS2's Jenna DeAngelis.

"I hope not. I mean, I think if anything people will take it more seriously," replied John Accardi of Maplewood.

"I think for a pageant that's supposed to empower women it seemed contradictory that they'd have women in swimsuits parading their bodies," said Sarah Baugh of the Upper West Side.

All the people DeAngelis spoke to support the change, even those who have taken the title.

"While I competed I did enjoy the swimsuit portion of the competition," said Miss America 2015 Kira Kazantsev. "At the same time, the first year I competed I had no idea what I was doing, and I went about it in a completely unhealthy way."

"In hindsight, Miss America doesn't wear a swimsuit at all during her year, in fact the only time she does is on stage at Miss. America. It was in our contracts that we couldn't wear swimsuits at an appearance or anything like that, that was not something that Miss America was allowed to do during her reign so it just didn't really matter to the job of Miss America," she added. "In the cultural atmosphere today this change needed to happen, its empowering, it's with the times and its moving forward in a positive direction. This change has been a long time coming."

The evening gown portion is also being revamped the organization says women can wear what they want, DeAngelis reported.

"The 2019 miss America competition will look different," said Regina Hopper, Miss America President and CEO. She says it will include more live, interactive interviews with the judges, and learn more about how the constestants will embrace the job after being crowned.

"We are no longer a pageant, we are a competition and they will be judged on what's in their brains and what's in their hearts and what passion they have for their careers and for their society," Hopper said. She is among female leadership, which includes Gretchen Carlson, a champion of the #MeToo movement following her own workplace experience.

"Miss America will represent a new generation of female leaders focused on scholarship, social impact, talent, and empowerment" Carlson said in a statement on the organization's website. "We're experiencing a cultural revolution in our country with women finding the courage to stand up and have their voices heard on many issues. Miss America is proud to evolve as an organization and join this empowerment movement."

They want the competition to be inclusive to all women, DeAngelis reported.

"I think it's a necessary change to really change that stereotype and perception of who Miss America is," said Nina Davuluri, who broke a barrier when she was crowned in 2014 as the first Indian-American to win the title. "Miss America has been viewed as the girl next door and Miss America has continued to evolve as the country evolves."

"Swimsuit was a particular struggle for me … I struggled with an eating disorder, which I overcame and also there was this cultural component," she added

She's hoping the country embraces the change.

The changes will take effect with this year's competition, which is set for September.

(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)