Miss World Beauty Pageant to Ban Bikini Competition to Avoid Offending Muslim Population

Contestants will be asked to wear more conservative attire such as sarongs

By Peter Gicas Jun 06, 2013 5:16 PMTags
Miss World BikinisCancan Chu/Getty Images

For those of you tuning into the next Miss World beauty pageant looking to see some babes in bikinis, well, you're out of luck.

Organizers for the annual event, taking place this September in Bali, will be asking the 137 women competing to trade their two-pieces in for more conservative attire like sarongs for the beach fashion part of the show.

The move comes in an effort to not offend those in Muslim-majority Indonesia following protests from certain Muslim groups, CBS News reports.

"I don't want to upset or get anyone in a situation where we are being disrespectful," Miss World Organization chairwoman Julia Morley told Australia's Herald Sun. "We treasure respect for all the countries that take part in the pageant."

Last year, Lady Gaga was forced to cancel her concert in Jakarta after protestors from a religious group called the pop star "a messenger of the devil," claiming her "pornographic" dance moves and barely-there outfits would destroy the country's morals.