On Dec. 14, 2014, Rolene Strauss of South Africa became the 64th Miss World winner in London. It marked the final event featuring contestants wearing bikinis.
On Dec. 14, 2014, Rolene Strauss of South Africa became the 64th Miss World winner in London. It marked the final event featuring contestants wearing bikinis.
Now, for the first time in 63 years, the organization's chairperson, Julia Morley has announced that Miss World will no longer feature a swimsuit round in their competition.
"The organization has decided to take itself out of the swimsuit world because it isn't the path they're trying to take," said Chris Wilmer, the national director of Miss World America/Miss United States organization. "It's not just a beauty contest, it's 'beauty with a purpose'. There didn't seem to be a purpose to have the swimsuit."
"I salute the miss world organization for their efforts to try and modernize," Wilmer said. "Pageantry is an age old industry and I think with Julia getting rid of swimsuit and making it more of a lifestyle competition sends a strong message and I applaud her for it."
"As they try to steer clear of focusing on the physical appeal of their contestants, Miss World plans to feature a beachwear round in competitions, as opposed to bikinis. "It'll be more of a fashion competition than a bikini show," Wilmer said.