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[CountAntonius]

Huff Po

Miss Teen USA just got a lot less creepy.

Teenage contestants will no longer compete wearing swimwear in the Miss annual competition, pageant officials announced Tuesday. Starting at this year’s event on July 30, the 14-18-year-old contestants will instead model athletic wear before judges.

The change is part of a commitment to “evolve in ways that celebrate women’s strength, confidence and beauty for years to come,” Miss Universe Organization president Paula Shugart wrote in a letter to the pageant’s state directors.

“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 continued. “Our hope is that this decision will help all of Miss Teen USA’s fans recognize these young women for the strong, inspiring individuals they are.”

The change was applauded by positive body image advocates.

“The Body Positive is happy to learn that Miss Teen USA is replacing their swimsuit competition with girls modeling activewear,” Connie Sobczak, the co-founder and executive director of the organization The Body Positive, said. “This is a step forward in honoring girls as strong and capable rather than simply as objects at which to stare.”

Actress Julianne Hough, the host of this year’s Miss USA, the adult version of the pageant run by the same company, hinted at changes within the organization’s events earlier this month when she said she wasn’t sure if there was still a place for swimwear in pageants.

“There’s definitely some work I think still to be done, that’s where we’ve been talking with the producers. In the next few years we may grow from that, but let’s see where this year goes,” she told USA Today of the swimsuit portion of the competition, noting she understands why many view it as having a “cringe-worthy negative connotation” or being “a competition to see who is the most beautiful.”

Miss Teen America, another major pageant for teenage girls, already has its contestants compete in activewear instead of swimwear. Similarly, in 2014 Miss World cut its bikini portion in favor of a beachwear show. But Miss USA and Miss America still famously feature a swimwear portion of the competition.

 

[Master Yoshi]

Good. I approve of this decision!

 

[blue_phazon]

...they had this before?

Why.

 

[Dimmle]

kind of stunned this was a thing

 

[Kthulhu]

...they had this before?

Why.

Do you really want to know?

 

[John Kowalski]

Incremental positive change is incrementally positive.

 

[SpaceWolf]

...they had this before?

Why.

I don't think it pays to think about it too much.

 

[teruterubozu]

kind of stunned this was a thing

I'm still trying to figure out why Teen USA is even a thing.

 

[cormack12]

Obligatory

 

[Killer Queen]

...they had this before?

Why.

.
Really gross.

I'm still trying to figure out why Teen USA is even a thing.

This too.

 

[Rembrandt]

I'm still trying to figure out why Teen USA is even a thing.

Some of them get into porn which is pretty cool.

 

[Angry Grimace]

It's still a looks-based competition that exists for two demogaphics: 1) creepy old men, 2) overbearing parents of the participants. Neither of these demographics need to be served. Shut it down.

 

[Aiii]

Typed "athletic wear" in Google..

Yeah, that's much less creepy... uh-huh.

 

[stufte]

Pageants are dumb, and they never pick my favorites anyhow.

 

[Kurdel]

Wonder how many years before the pics of swimsuits are purged of the basic "Miss teen USA" Google image search?

 

[psynergylover]

So swimwear for athletic wear......that's at least different....

 

[TheOnlyOneHeEverFeared]

It's taken till 2016 to do this? Thats weird.

 

[perfectchaos007]

Typed "athletic wear" in Google..



Yeah, that's much less creepy... uh-huh.

It's just what females wear to the gym. Workout clothes if you will

 

[Octavianus]

Wonder how many years before the pics of swimsuits are purged of the basic "Miss teen USA" Google image search?

Some people out there in our nation don't have maps

 

[jabuseika]

I'm still trying to figure out why Teen USA is even a thing.

Because parents are crazy.

 

[humansarehorses]

Some of them get into porn which is pretty cool.

I'm not sure I'd call doing one or more scenes on GDP getting into porn but Kristy Althaus's videos put real pornstars' to shame.

 

[Weckum]

 

[MisterHero]

Fuck clothes modeling, they should have Feats of Strength

 

[Himynameischris]

smh they need to just shut these down but of course too much money in it,

 

[Angry Grimace]

Some of them get into porn which is pretty cool.

Well this thread is now creepier than the Miss Teen USA pageant

 

[Nipo]

What if their sport is swimming?

 

[kunonabi]

I'm still trying to figure out why Teen USA is even a thing.

To prepare them for the Miss America and potentially the Miss Universe contests?

 

[Tonedeff]

You'd have to be one perverted ass motherfucker to enjoy a teenage swimsuit contest, or you'd have to be an actual teenager. Since I'm neither, this change sounds like a positive

Spoiler

(he types knowing full well he was never going to watch this shit anyway)

.

 

[Aiii]

It's just what females wear to the gym. Workout clothes if you will

Bikinis are just what women wear to the beach. Swimwear if you will.

 

[LiquidSword]

Edit: Sorry double post

 

[MikeHattsu]

Do they still have those creepy kids pageants in the US?

 

[perfectchaos007]

What if their sport is swimming?

 

[TheOnlyOneHeEverFeared]

Some of them get into porn which is pretty cool.

wait what

 

[Alienous]

Like, at the back of my mind I knew this was a thing, but conciously it's hard to wrap your head around.

 

[Choomp]

Misread pageant as pregnant. Probably wouldn't have clicked if I didn't do that. I don't even.

 

[perfectchaos007]

wait what

miss colorado and miss delaware* did some amateur shoot a year or so ago. separately


*i think it was miss delaware, but i'm not sure.

 

[LiquidSword]

It's just what females wear to the gym. Workout clothes if you will

 

[Angry Grimace]

You'd have to be one perverted ass motherfucker to enjoy a teenage swimsuit contest, or you'd have to be an actual teenager. Since I'm neither, this change sounds like a positive

Spoiler

(he types knowing full well he was never going to watch this shit anyway)

.

You can oppose the objectification of underage girls without taking the tack that 17 year old girls are literally unattractive, you know.

 

[Anung]

You mean I shaved my bikini zone for nothing?

 

[HomerSimpson-Man]

Miss Teen USA is still a thing....and they had the swimsuit competition?

Yeesh!

 

[perfectchaos007]

Is "females" a derogatory term now? I don't think males wear sports bras in their athletic wear like in the picture of the woman I was quoting.

 

[TheOnlyOneHeEverFeared]

miss colorado and miss delaware* did some amateur shoot a year or so ago. separately


*i think it was miss delaware, but i'm not sure.

It wasn't the idea of them doing porn, it was more the statement 'they do porn now so thats cool'

 

[Subpar Scrub]

It's taken till 2016 to do this? Thats weird.

People are still using the year meme in 2016? That's weird.

 

[ElBoxyBrown]

I thought this only existed in Persona.

 

[Tonedeff]

You can oppose the objectification of underage girls without taking the tack that 17 year old girls are literally unattractive, you know.

Of course

 

[Linkstrikesback]

Obligatory

What the flying fuck is this? Please someone tell me that's not a child trying to do sexy pole dancing for TV.

 

[LiquidSword]

Is "females" a derogatory term now? I don't think males wear sports bras in their athletic wear like in the picture of the woman I was quoting.

It's not derogatory lol. Just busting your chops because you know, dudes on the internet love to say females instead of women. It would be weird to refer to women as females in a normal conversation in real life depending on the context of course.

 

[Subpar Scrub]

I thought this only existed in Persona.

That teacher was thirsty as fuck.

What the flying fuck is this?

Reading is hard.

 

[Oersted]

Some of them get into porn which is pretty cool.

Welp. Dude pls

 

[perfectchaos007]

It's not derogatory lol. Just busting your chops.

ah okay, well you were the second person to bold my use of "females" so I was starting to wonder..