Swimsuit competition

A swimsuit competition, more commonly now called a bikini contest, is a beauty contest in which one of the judging criteria is the physical attributes of contestants, which is judged and ranked while contestants wear a swimsuit, typically a bikini.

Bikini contests may be organised or sponsored by related companies for marketing purposes or to try to find and attract new talent to promote their products, masquerading as mild adult entertainment in the forms of a beauty contest. Swimwear competitions have been a part of beauty pageants, such as the Miss America and Miss World pageants and by organizations such as Hawaiian Tropic, and may also be held in a bar or nightclub, during intermissions of boxing or wrestling matches or at a car show. Bodybuilding competitions may also feature a bikini contest segment. Participants in such contests may be competing for prizes including trophies, money, and modeling contracts.

In the United States, beauty pageants of women in bathing costumes became popular from the 1880s. However, such events were not regarded as respectable. Beauty contests became more respectable with the first modern "Miss America" contest held in 1921, though less respectable beauty contests continued to be held.

Subject to relevant decency laws which generally require nipples and labia to be covered, organisers of each competition may determine the standards of "dress" and nudity of the competition, which may permit or require contestants to wear any variety of bikini, including a microkini (consisting of a tiny bra and thong) . The organisers may also specify the contestants' age range. There may be a panel of at least three judges. One or two announcers present the competition, and they may also help the contestants to connect with the crowd. Winning over the crowd is of principal importance for most competitions, as results can be heavily influenced by audience input, while in some cases formal judges are absent entirely and the winner may be decided by popular vote.

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