SWIMSUIT COMPETITION - Timeless or Outdated?

The best part about speaking to groups is answering questions at the end. Today I had some fun questions from the Pella Rotary group about the Affordable Care Act and the preparation that goes into a pageant. Additionally, I got a couple of not-so-fun questions about the swimsuit phase of the competition.

I wanted to blog about this because I think these are questions that will be raised throughout my travels as I educate groups on the Miss America Organization. The Rotarians wanted to know how the organization promotes positive body image when contestants have such high physical expectations.

The MAO purposefully encourages participants to live healthy lifestyles. Wellness is imperative for titleholders as they have demanding schedules. Ultimately, the question posed is this: Is a swimsuit necessary and appropriate to demonstrate contestants’ fitness levels? When I answered “no, probably not,” the whole room couldn’t agree with me more.

In 1921 the MAO was started by Atlantic City businessmen looking to lengthen the tourist season. It pretty much was a bathing suit/beauty contest. The pageant has evolved greatly over the past 90 years, giving participants an avenue to promote a platform, gain professional skills and serve their communities.

The swimsuit phase, some would say, is timeless and keeps the “tradition” of the program. Over the past week, I’ve noted people’s reactions when I tell them about the areas of competition. One person told me that the first thing that comes to mind when they think about Miss America is the ladies strutting around on stage in bikinis. Another apologized to me. A nice lady from Rotary told me that you can tell a person’s fitness level in an exercise-type outfit. In my opinion, the first thing that should be coming to mind when the Miss America Organization is mentioned is scholarship and service.

While I agree that an exercise outfit would demonstrate fitness levels just fine, I understand that that swimsuits come with the territory. Personally, the pros of the MAO significantly outweigh this con. I compete to earn scholarship money and gain a stature to promote my platform and serve the community, definitely not to model a swimsuit. My goal is to be recognized for having a healthy, strong and realistic body. Miss Iowa needs to be real and relatable.