Miss America 2020: Biochemist Camille Schrier Wins, but Twitter Slams Beauty Competitions

Miss America crowned a new winner Thursday, but some critics were against the institution in general. The broadcast on NBC revealed biochemist Camille Schrier as the newly crowned winner. Along with the crown, Schrier was also awarded $50,000 in scholarships and spending a year advocating for a cause of her choice.

This year’s competition marks the second time the show stepped away from evening gown and swimsuit competitions, stressing the Miss America organization’s desire to step away from physical appearance as a condition for the recognition.

Still, critics took to social media to complain about “beauty pageants” still happening in 2019.

“Well this is swell but I’m still confused as to why we need beauty pageants to begin with. ‘Sure, you too can be a biochemist but Miss America is a smokin hot biochemist so step it up girls’. Isn’t a pageant still putting too much emphasis on a women’s looks??” one user wrote, responding to the news of Schrier’s win.

“So why do such a thing as ‘beauty contests’ exist?” Another user commented.

“Beauty means brain, I like that,” another user wrote.

“Nobody over here really cares and most people don’t watch the pageants eithet(sic)!” Another user commented.

“Still a competition where women are objectified and judged according to mainstream (patriarchal) notions of their physical appearance. I suppose its(sic) a small step forward that a woman’s career is considered, but no safety glasses shows this as tokenism,” another user commented based on what Schrier wore during her chemistry experiment demonstration in the talent portion. “Feminist & unapologetic.”

“For a pageant not focused on beauty, she definitely is beautiful. So there has to be some barriers to entry or we’d all be #MissAmerica2020. Actually, I’ll make the decree. I am Miss America. You are Miss America. We are all Miss America. What was I talking about now?” A male user wrote.

Rather than having the looks-based competitions during the broadcast, the show featured onstage interviews where the contestants shared their personal achievements, life goals and a planned “social impact initiative” they would work on if they won.

The show also left its original home of Atlantic City, New Jersey, and moved to the Mohegan Sun Earth Expo & Convention Center in Uncasville, Connecticut. Singer Kelly Rowland, Queer Eye star Karamo brown and Superstore actress Lauren Ash served as judges for the competition. Mario Lopez and Kit Hoover hosted the show.

Schrier took over the crown from Nia Franklin, a classically trained opera singer from New York. During the telecast, Schrier pledged to use her year to educate Americans on issues of drug safety and abuse prevention from pediatrics to geriatrics.