As Twitchy reported, organizers announced last week that the Miss America Pageant would no longer be a “pageant,” and that the infamous swimsuit part of the event would be scrapped. No longer would competitors be judged on their looks.
That move inspired Crystal Lee, first runner-up to Miss America in 2014, to pen an op-ed in The Los Angeles Times in which she argued that the swimsuit competition was empowering, not demeaning.
"Walking out in a bikini before a crowd cheering your name gave me a rush and sense of courage I never thought possible." https://t.co/Ayaxgcj3Xc
— L.A. Times Opinion (@latimesopinion) June 12, 2018
Same. https://t.co/W4LIDoa8mx
— Jonah Goldberg (@JonahNRO) June 12, 2018
Me too. https://t.co/Q4p0UlvQSD
— Richard Hinson (@rehinson49) June 12, 2018
I say this all the time. https://t.co/s9smCmlRsj
— Bill Schtinkwater (@Big_Jazz_Boy) June 12, 2018
https://twitter.com/kebejay/status/1006636175614881793
Still, dropping the swimwear category is a loss to the contest. It delivered a powerful message: that beauty and brains are not mutually exclusive and that you can be a feminist and flaunt your body. Letting contestants don the bikini was inherently feminist because women made that choice for themselves. Future participants will be forced into a new form of sexism, one that emerges out of today’s popular feminist narrative. It may be driven by contemporary ideas, but it disguises the same, familiar barriers and judgments surrounding women’s decisions.
She concludes that contestants like her “were baring our midriffs because we wanted to.”
So, is this a case of “my body, my choice,” or is it something else?
Stop telling women they can't be women. https://t.co/AciONSwbPL
— Goo T. Gwaba (@GooGwaba) June 12, 2018
Straight from her own mouth she admits she LIKED the bathing suit part. Why cant we just celebrate?
It's a beauty contest people. This just goes to show you that all this PC feminist crap of "everyone gets to be a cheerleader" RUINS the fun things we have/had. ? https://t.co/q5MVFRxxSs
— Constitutional-TQN? (@TechQn) June 12, 2018
How DARE she declare that the event you say is demeaning wasn't demeaning to her.
Mansplain away, folks! I'm sure she'll appreciate you letting her know how wrong she's thinking. https://t.co/O69bxeL3l5
— Gordon Shuckrow III (@GordonShuckrow3) June 12, 2018
You'll get no arguments from me. https://t.co/nIS1oj6R2u
— Will Bryan (@willwbryan) June 12, 2018
#SaveTheBikinis https://t.co/JX38KUhMT1
— Dumetella Superbus (@DumetellaSuperb) June 12, 2018
By the way, the Times notes that Lee co-founded a tech startup, LifeSite, which sounds pretty empowering as well.
Related:
Don't believe the hype: The Miss America contestants are STILL being judged on how they look in a swimsuit https://t.co/mx8R2cEASZ
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) June 5, 2018
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