Miss England is considering bringing back its swimwear round 20 years after it was banned after organisers said they "refused to bow to the woke brigade." The beauty pageant is looking to reintroduce the bikini parade on stage for the first time since 2002 - despite other competitions recently scrapping it.
Miss Northern Ireland announced this year it was ditching the round as they felt it was detracting from the "real message and meaning of the contest." But Miss England organiser Angie Beasley said she was holding talks with contestants about whether to bring swimwear back to the stage in 2023.
Previous finalists have waded into the debate with many saying it was a "fun way" to "celebrate body positivity" and "empower women" to be "confident in their own skin." PE teacher Leah Carter Welch, 22, was last year's winner of the Miss England Sports round.
She said "I think it’s great to be empowering women to feel confident in their own skin. I’m a PE teacher and a big advocate for helping to build my student’s body confidence, so to be able to partake in something like this, when women think negatively about our bodies is good.
"It shows that we all come in different shapes and sizes which is a wonderful message "
The Beach Beauty Round still exists as an optional choice but contestants only have to submit a picture rather than parade on stage. Miss Lincolnshire Milly Everatt, 22, a farmer's daughter and model, of Eastoft, Lincs., said she was for keeping the controversial round.
She added: "I’ve always been very aware the round is completely optional which is great for those who wouldn’t want to get involved with that round, but for myself I’ve always felt more body confident and would hate to see the round go.
"I think it’s fun and celebrates body positivity. The beauty of this round is that it's a choice, to participate or not, it’s also a fast track to the top 12 so contestants may feel they should do it.
"But it’s just one of ten rounds so it would never be detrimental to their Miss England campaign anyway."
The reigning Miss London, Anjali Sinha, 23, said "I think the swimwear round is a wonderful platform for women to embrace their physical bodies. It empowers women to be confident in their own skin, especially as there is immense competition and comparisons on social media regarding body imagery.
"However, I understand that in pageantry it’s a lot more about our beauty from within. Hence some may think there isn’t a need for a swimwear round. In the evolving world of pageantry, it’s better to idolise women truly for what they stand for.
"Women stand for revolutionary change and we should focus more on what they want to achieve for the betterment of our world."
But Hannah Jowle, from Blackpool, one of this year's semi finalists, added: "Confident women don't feel the need to show off their bodies."
Former Miss England winner Katrina Hodge said earlier this year she regretted her "misguided" campaign to ban swimwear rounds at beauty contests. Katrina was dubbed "Combat Barbie" when she became Miss England in 2009 having completed tours of Afghanistan and Iraq during her 11 years in the army.
She said: "I was young and naive and felt like a bad feminist for enjoying posing in swimwear. We were constantly being told by ‘feminists’ trying to close down pageants that it was wrong and objectifying us and I felt pressured to go along with it.
"But 10 years on I can see how my campaign was misguided. By successfully ending it I took away women’s choice and freedoms - I also made the competition highly boring."
Director of Miss England Angie Beasley said "I understand both sides, for and against. This round has been debatable since I started to run Miss England in 2002 when I first replaced the swimwear for sportswear on stage.
"The contest is more focused on Beauty with a Purpose and promoting good causes these days. Our current winner Jessica Gagen is promoting women in STEM careers as her project.
"Being a contestant myself in the 80s I know how the girls feel in swimwear but it was more focused on looks back then, it was a swimwear parade and there was no choice. Miss England contestants have a choice to enter the Beach Beauty Round it's held as a photoshoot. It offers one fast track place to the shortlist.
"Some contestants work very hard to keep their figures fit and healthy and love competing in the swimwear round. But the winner hardly appears in swimwear these days unless she goes to a special destination.
"Even the Miss World contest hasn't had a swimwear round for years now so that's why we are debating if it's needed in Miss England at all these days ".
She previously said: "I won’t let it go back to the cattle market days. But I also won’t bow down to the woke brigade and go back to abolishing swimwear altogether because girls deserve the choice.
"Ultimately, whether you’re a size 8 or a size 18 and regardless of how good you look in a dress or a bikini, to win the crown you have to be the full package — not just a pretty face full of lip fillers, Botox and heavy make-up."
