The Miss England beauty pageant has not seen a bikini round since 2002 (Pictures: Lighthouse Fashion Studio/SWNS)
Miss England contest organisers are debating the return of its swimwear round 20 years after it was banned.
Miss England is one of multiple beauty pageants which decided to scrap the round in the name of moving away from objectifying women, and the last time women were allowed to parade their bikinis on stage was in 2002.
The Beach Beauty Round still exists as an optional choice but women only submit a picture rather than model on stage.
Now, the director of Miss England Angie Beasley said she will be holding talks with contestants about whether the category should be brought back this year.
Those who are for the return of the swimwear round argue that women should not be stripped of the choice and could use the category to promote body positivity.
Miss Lincolnshire Milly Everatt, who has won the Beach Beauty swimwear round twice in the last five years, said she was for keeping the controversial round.
The 22-year-old farmer and HGV driver said: ‘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.
The Beach Beauty swimwear round still exists but only as a photoshoot (Picture: Lighthouse Fashion Studio/SWNS)
Milly Everatt, a farmer and HGV driver from Lincolnshire, won the Beach Beauty swimwear round twice (Picture: Lighthouse Fashion Studio/SWNS)
‘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 10 rounds so it would never be detrimental to their Miss England campaign anyway.’
2009 Miss England winner Katrina Hodge said earlier this year that she regretted her ‘misguided’ campaign to ban swimwear rounds at beauty contests in general.
Katrina was dubbed ‘Combat Barbie’ when she became Miss England 14 years ago, having completed tours of Afghanistan and Iraq during her 11 years in the army.
‘Combat Barbie’ Katrina Hodge previously said she regretted her push to ban the round (PIcture: PA)
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.’
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Leah Carter Welch, 22, from Greenwich, London, 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 ‘
PE teacher Leah Carter Welch said ‘it’s great to empower women to feel confident in their own skin’ (Picture: Lighthouse Fashion Studio/SWNS)
Current Miss London, Anjali Sinha, said she understands both sides (Picture: Lighthouse Fashion Studio/SWNS)
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.’
But the scientist from Middlesex, whose mum won Miss Mumbai, also added: ‘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.’
One of this year’s semi-finalists Hannah Jowle, from Blackpool, said: ‘Confident women don’t feel the need to show off their bodies.’
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Ms 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.
‘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.
Director of Miss England Angie Beasley previously said she would ‘not let it go back to the cattle market days’ (Picture: Shutterstock)
‘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 she would ‘not let it go back to the cattle market days’ but ‘also won’t bow down to the woke brigade and go back to abolishing swimwear altogether because girls deserve the choice’.
Earlier this year, Miss Northern Ireland announced it was ditching the round as they felt it was detracting from the ‘real message and meaning of the contest.’
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Some are arguing that women should have the choice and could use the category to promote body positivity.