Bowing to pressure from its Muslim host country, the Miss World beauty pageant has announced that it will cut its famous bikinis and replace them with the traditional Indonesian sarong.
In this year’s contest, the more than 130 contestants will be sporting the traditional longer sarongs worn in Bali instead of the revealing, sexy bikinis that have always been part of the competition, pageant officials have decided.
The contest will be held on Sept. 28 on the resort island of Bali and in Sentul, areas near the Indonesian capital of Jakarta. Indonesia is the world’s most populous Muslim nation.
“There will no bikini in this year’s Miss World pageant to respect our traditional customs and values,” Adjie S. Soeratmadjie of the RCTI, the official broadcaster and local organizer, told media outlets.
“This is a sensitive issue in Indonesia. We have discussed it since last year and they have agreed,” Soeratmadjie said.
The decision is a major departure for the Miss World competition. Even its first winner in 1950 wore a two-piece bathing suit during the show.
A few weeks ago the government had urged the Miss World staff to dump the bikinis and instead wear a kebaya or a batik, both of which are form-fitting, long dresses with a higher, open bodice situated above the cleavage.
[…]
