Miss Teen USA Ditching Swimsuit Competition

Miss Teen USA, the beauty pageant for girls ages 14-19, is doing away with its swimsuit competition, the latest in a series of changes meant to modernize the event and more align it with progressive ideals.

Instead, the event will have an "athletic wear" competition as part of the pageant, emphasizing physical fitness for its younger viewing audience.

“I have been an athlete my entire life. As a member of a softball team and a competitive dance team, I spend a lot of time in athletic wear,” Katherine Haik, the reigning Miss Teen USA, told USA Today. “This new direction for Miss Teen USA is a great way to celebrate the active lives that so many young women lead and set a strong example for our peers.”

USA Today broke the news exclusively Wednesday morning, and its story was shared by the official Miss Teen USA Twitter account.

Beauty pageants have been taking steps in recent years to promote progressive ideals. Miss America will have its first openly gay contestant this year, and the most recent Miss USA winner was an Army officer. Miss USA also featured a contestant who had lost her hearing.

The 2016 Miss Teen USA pageant is scheduled for Saturday, July 30, in Las Vegas.

"This decision reflects an important cultural shift we’re all celebrating that empowers women who lead active, purposeful lives and encourage those in their communities to do the same," Miss Universe president Paula Shugart wrote in a company memo. "Our hope is that this decision will help all of Miss Teen USA's fans recognize these young women for the strong, inspiring individuals they are."

Miss Universe, Miss USA and Miss Teen USA pageants are all owned by the Miss Universe Organization. The group had been owned by Donald Trump until he sold under pressure afterr making racist remarks about Mexicans.

Other pageants may follow Miss Teen USA's lead on swimsuit competitions, which many see as sexist and say doesn't contribute anything to the pageant other than giving viewers a chance to ogle the scantily clad women.

"There’s definitely some work I think still to be done, that’s where we’ve been talking with the producers," Julianne Hough, Miss USA producer, told USA Today. "In the next few years we may grow from that, but let’s see where this year goes."

Read the full story from USA Today here.

Photo: Neda Danilovic, Miss Arizona Teen USA 2015, competes in Sun Kitten swimwear and Chinese Laundry shoes during the Swimsuit segment of the Final Competition of the 2015 Miss Teen USA Pageant at ATLANTIS, Paradise Island, Bahamas on Saturday, August 22, 2015. By Kevin Pong