Erin Brady, Miss Connecticut, was crowned Miss USA on Sunday, but the spotlight is following some other contestants as well. After the bikini round of the pageant, a debate has begun on whether contestants are getting skinnier than before.
Miss America 2008 Kirsten Haglund said in a discussion on HuffPost Live, "The girls, I thought, were much too thin. I agree that if you would have tested their BMIs that they probably would have been much too thin. And that's the standard in the modeling industry and the fashion industry as well."
Susie Castillo, who was the winner of the Miss USA pageant in 2003, agreed. "I was a little shocked too, sitting in the audience and seeing ribcages showing, protruding from these girls' skins," she said. "I was like, 'Wow, these girls...'"
Nancy Redd, Miss Virginia 2003, stated, "I think society in general is moving towards 'Smaller is better' in terms of individual and swimsuit sizes."
In 2012, Haglund had opened up to CNN about her battle with anorexia nervosa as a teenager in her pre-pageant days. She survived on coffee, Diet Coke and chewing gum, before her mother convinced her to go for therapy. Through the Kirsten Haglund Foundation, she now hopes to raise more awareness about the eating disorder.
Castillo who now gives lessons in "Pageantology" said that she encourages girls who come to her to be themselves and maintain a healthy weight.
Last week, Daily Mail posted pictures of the contestants posing with their favorite foods, like cheeseburgers, ice cream sundaes and other desserts. This was said to be their final binge before they got into bikini-ready mode for the pageant, but as comments on the page said, there's no telling if they actually ate what they happily posed with. The contestants aren't the only ones for whom the bikini round is crucial. Commenting on the Miss World Organization's decision to not allow bikinis in the swimsuit round this year (out of respect for Indonesia, the host country), Donald Trump, co-owner of Miss Universe, Miss USA and Miss Teen USA, told "Fox and Friends", "Well, I own Miss Universe, so I'm actually very happy about it-because if they don't have bikinis their ratings go right down the tubes."
