Should Swimsuits Return to the Miss America Competition?

5:45 AM PDT, June 7, 2019 - Inside Edition Staff

That's the big question this week now that former Miss America Gretchen Carlson has resign as head of the pageant organization. Carlson spearheaded the move to do away with the segment when she took over in 2018.

An Inside Edition Twitter poll showed that people are decidedly split on bringing back the bikinis. Fifty-two percent are in favor, while 48 percent say no.

On Instagram, the results were similar. Fifty-four percent want the bathing suits back, but 46 percent aren't in favor.

What about former contestants? Inside Edition spoke to Ericka Dunlap, Miss America 2004, who said she thinks the segment should never have been dismissed in the first place.

"It's time to bring it back," Dunlap said.

But Miss America 2013, Mallory Hagan, said Carlson wasn't the only one who wanted to get rid of the competition.

"I continue to be confident in the board's unanimous decision to remove the swimsuit phase of competition," Hagan told Inside Edition.

Miss America officials have declined to comment.

https://www.insideedition.com/should-swimsuits-return-miss-america-competition-53515