In recent years, organizers have sought to focus on the offstage lives of the women and girls, pushing their accomplishments and charity work, but criticism remains steady. It’s part of a continuing effort to distance the pageants from their roots: a competition based entirely on the contestants’ appearance. Whether through swimsuits or athletic wear, the aim is to “celebrate being healthy, and being in shape and being comfortable in your own skin,” he added. Replacing the teenagers’ swimsuits with athletic wear - which he defined as clothes the contestants might wear to the gym or yoga class - should not be seen as “anti-swimsuit,” he said.
