The requirement for contestants to wear a swimsuit was a controversial aspect of the various competitions . The controversy was heightened with the increasing popularity of the bikini after its introduction in 1946 . The bikini was banned for the Miss America contest in 1947 because of Roman Catholic protesters . When the Miss World contest started in 1951 , there was an outcry when the winner was crowned in a bikini . Pope Pius XII condemned the crowning as sinful , and countries with religious traditions threatened to withdraw delegates . The bikini was banned for future and other contests . It was not until the late 1990s that they became permitted again , but still generated controversy when finals were held in countries where bikinis ( or swimsuits in general ) were socially disapproved . For example , in 2003 , Vida Samadzai from Afghanistan caused an uproar in her native country when she participated in the Miss Earth 2003 contest in a red bikini . She was condemned by the Afghan Supreme Court , saying such a display of the female body goes against Islamic law and Afghan culture . In 2013 , the swimsuit round of the Miss World contest was dropped because of Islamist protests in Bali ( Indonesia ) , where the contest took place . In 2014 , the Miss World contest eliminated the swimsuit competition from its pageant
Miss Earth 2003
Miss Earth 2003
Beauty pageant