It's almost time for the Miss America competition! That's competition, not pageant.
Meet the 51 women from all the states and the District of Columbia who will be competing in what will be a different Miss America contest.
Following a highly publicized email scandal that led to a leadership shakeup, in the wake of the rise of the #MeToo movement, the 2019 competition is changing things up this year. So for the first time, it's no longer a "pageant," and it will no longer feature its popular swimsuit contest.
"Change is always tough," Gretchen Carlson, the newly elected Miss America Organization chairwoman and winner of the 1989 pageant, told E! News. "People get set in their ways and...listen, we have a rich history with Miss America and we're made up of all volunteers who love this program, and I'm sure a lot of people loved it the way that it was. But we need to also look at where we are in society, and we're in 2018 and we need to evolve as an organization, as women are evolving in culture, and especially in the middle of this cultural revolution right now, this is incredibly fitting to make these changes to Miss America too."
The swimsuit competition will be replaced with a live interactive session with the judges, during which each contestant would "highlight her achievements and goals in life and how she will use her talents, passion, and ambition to perform the job of Miss America."
Also changing is the competition's evening gown contest, which will now be modified to "give participants the freedom to outwardly express their self-confidence in evening attire of their choosing while discussing how they will advance their social impact initiatives."
The 2019 Miss America Competition will air live on September 9 on ABC.