 In 1951, 26 women dressed themselves in bikinis and floated down the River Thames on a bargeat least one was wearing a suit made entirely of spotted mink. Alastair Grant/AP Miss South Africa Rolene Strauss (C) celebrates after being crowned Miss World 2014 on Sunday. In addition to four optional competitions in talent, fashion runway, swimwear, and athletics, Strauss was judged on an in-depth interview, a service project dedicated to keeping girls in school, and her academic record. In a private meeting on Friday, Julia Morley, the chairwoman of Miss World (she assumed the role following the death of her husband in 2000), announced to the international directors that the bikini portion will be eliminated entirely beginning in 2015. And it doesnt do anything for any of us," Mrs. Morley, 74, tells me as we watch a sing-off between Miss Malaysia and Miss Scotland during a dress rehearsal at the ICC Auditorium in the heart of London's Royal Docks. "I don't care if someone has a bottom two inches bigger than someone else's," Chairwoman Julia Morley told ElleDec. "We are really not looking at her bottom. We are really listening to her speak." For contrast, The Miss Universe pageant, which is owned by Donald Trump and was founded the year after Miss World, places a strong emphasis on the swimsuit element of the pageant. It's more about the outreach and what a woman could do with a title like Miss World." In addition to the swimsuit round, Miss World contestants have competed in challenge events like sports, dance, talent, top model gown, Beauty with a Purpose video, and several interviews. In recent years, the bathing suit competition has been held prior to the finale, and judged privately by a modesty panel rather than during the live broadcast.
– Just days after South Africa's Rolene Strauss won this year's crown, Miss World organizers have announced it will no longer feature the swimsuit portion of the contest, reports the New York Daily News. Next year's competition will be the first year in the event's 63-year history in which the contestants put on a "beachwear" fashion show instead of parading down the catwalk in bikinis, ABC News reports. It's not exactly clear what "beachwear" means, though a rep for the event frames it as "more of a fashion competition than a bikini show." The Daily News notes that Miss World had already stopped airing the bathing suit portion of the competition, and had made it optional. Donald Trump, who owns the Miss Universe pageant, puts what Elle calls a "strong emphasis" on swimsuits and doesn't include interviews or service elements during his contest, as Miss World does. After Miss World Chairwoman Julia Morley's husband (the founder of Miss World) died in 2000, Trump called Morley and reportedly asked, "So little lady, are you ready to throw in the towel?" His remarks spurred Morley to get a $5 million loan and keep her contest going. As for the latest change, "I don't need to see women just walking up and down in bikinis," Morley tells Elle. "It doesn't do anything for the woman. And it doesn't do anything for any of us." (Miss World got rid of bikinis in 2013 out of respect to host country Indonesia.)