Swimsuit Fuss Isn’t One For Most Contestants

It has become the Miss America mantra: It is not a beauty pageant, it is a scholarship competition.

Apparently, somebody forgot to tell the girls. The most controversial part of the pageant, the swimsuit competition, is just fine with them.

In a poll released Monday, 42 of the 50 Miss America contestants said they did not have a problem with waltzing around in public in swimwear.

“Considering the current trends toward health and fitness, I think the swimsuit competition is more relevant than ever,” wrote Paula Knoll, Miss Minnesota. And Jennifer Joseph, Miss Nevada, wrote that she was eager to show off her size-6 figure, the result of a 100-pound weight loss.

Very much in the minority was the reaction from Miss Montana, Amanda Granrude: “A veiled strip show,” she wrote.