The Miss America Pageant
The Miss America Pageant is an annual competition that has been held since its inception in 1921, originating in Atlantic City, New Jersey. It features contestants from all 50 states and the District of Columbia, who progress through local and state competitions to compete for the national title. The pageant garners millions of viewers each year and awards scholarships and prizes to participants based on various criteria such as talent, poise, and personality. Traditionally, the contest also included evaluations based on physical appearance, specifically through swimsuit and evening gown segments, though these were eliminated in 2018 to promote inclusivity and reduce emphasis on looks. The pageant has faced criticism for perpetuating narrow beauty standards and has been the subject of protests and scandals over the decades. Nonetheless, it continues to be a significant cultural event, evolving to reflect changing societal values while maintaining its status as a prominent competition in American culture.
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The Miss America Pageant
The Miss America Pageant, praised by some as an American institution and criticized by others as a sexist relic of times gone by, takes place annually in early September. Regardless of their outlook, millions of viewers watch the crowning of the new Miss America on network television.
Across the country, thousands of persons get involved in the multitude of state and local pageants that precede the Miss America event. Winners at the local level move up to the state pageants, which are often just as elaborate as the national one. The fifty winners on the state level represent their states in the final, suspense-filled week of judging. Contestants receive a variety of scholarships and other prizes. The winner is chosen on the basis of personal talents, poise, personality, articulateness, and ability to carry the responsibilities of the title; prior to 2018, contestants were also judged on their appearances in swimsuits and evening gowns. The contest culminates with the coronation of the new Miss America, who is typically serenaded by the host with the traditional “There She Is: Miss America” song as she begins her year-long reign by walking regally down the runway.
The Miss America Pageant was held for the first time in 1921, when women from eight cities and states lined up on the beach at Atlantic City, New Jersey, for judging. It was held yearly through 1927 and again in 1933. Since 1935, when it resumed in the Marine Ballroom of Atlantic City's Steel Pier, it has been an annual event. By 1940, when the pageant moved to the Convention Hall, there were 46 aspirants from thirty states and the District of Columbia. Every state in the Union was represented for the first time in 1959.
The following is a list of the Miss Americas:
1921: Margaret Gorman of Washington, D.C. 1922: Mary Campbell of Columbus, Ohio 1923: Mary Campbell of Columbus, Ohio 1924: Ruth Malcomson of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1925: Fay Lanphier of Oakland, California 1926: Norma Smallwood of Tulsa, Oklahoma 1927: Lois Delander of Joliet, Illinois 1933: Marian Bergeron of West Haven, Connecticut 1935: Henrietta Leaver of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 1936: Rose Coyle of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1937: Bette Cooper of Bertrand Island, New Jersey 1938: Marilyn Meseke of Marion, Ohio 1939: Patricia Donnelly of Detroit, Michigan 1940: Frances Burke of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1941: Rosemary LaPlanche of Los Angeles, California 1942: Jo-Carroll Dennison of Tyler, Texas 1943: Jean Bartel of Los Angeles, California 1944: Venus Ramey of Washington, D.C. 1945: Bess Myerson of New York City, New York 1946: Marilyn Buferd of Los Angeles, California 1947: Barbara Walker of Memphis, Tennessee 1948: BeBe Shopp of Hopkins, Minnesota 1949: Jacque Mercer of Litchfield, Arizona Prior to 1950, the Miss America winner was designated according to the year in which she won the pageant. Since 1950, however, the winner has been designated according to the following year. Thus, Miss America 1951 was crowned in 1950 and there was no Miss America 1950. 1951: Yolande Betbeze of Mobile, Alabama 1952: Colleen Hutchins of Salt Lake City, Utah 1953: Neva Langley of Macon, Georgia 1954: Evelyn Ay of Ephrata, Pennsylvania 1955: Lee Meriwether of San Francisco, California 1956: Sharon Ritchie of Denver, Colorado 1957: Marian McKnight of Manning, South Carolina 1958: Marilyn Van Derbur of Denver, Colorado 1959: Mary Ann Mobley of Brandon, Mississippi 1960: Lynda Mead of Natchez, Mississippi 1961: Nancy Fleming of Montague, Michigan 1962: Maria Fletcher of Asheville, North Carolina 1963: Jacquelyn Mayer of Sandusky, Ohio 1964: Donna Axum of El Dorado, Arkansas 1965: Vonda Van Dyke of Phoenix, Arizona 1966: Deborah Bryant of Overland Park, Kansas 1967: Jane Jayroe of Laverne, Oklahoma 1968: Debra Barnes of Pittsburgh, Kansas 1969: Judith Ford of Belvidere, Illinois 1970: Pam Eldred of Bloomfield, Michigan 1971: Phyllis George of Denton, Texas 1972: Laurel Schaefer of Bexley, Ohio 1973: Terry Meeuwsen of DePere, Wisconsin 1974: Rebecca King of Denver, Colorado 1975: Shirley Cothran of Denton, Texas 1976: Tawny Godin of Saratoga Springs, New York 1977: Dorothy Benham of Edina, Minnesota 1978: Susan Perkins of Columbus, Ohio 1979: Kylene Barker of Roanoke, Virginia 1980: Cheryl Prewitt of Ackerman, Mississippi 1981: Susan Powell of Elk City, Oklahoma 1982: Elizabeth Ward of Russellville, Arkansas 1983: Debra Maffett of Anaheim, California 1984: Vanessa Williams of Syracuse, New York: succeeded by Suzette Charles of Mays Landing, New Jersey, after Williams resigned due to a scandal over nude photographs 1985: Sharlene Wells of Salt Lake City, Utah 1986: Susan Akin of Meridian, Mississippi 1987: Kellye Cash of Memphis, Tennessee 1988: Kaye Lani Rae Rafko of Monroe, Michigan 1989: Gretchen Carlson of Anoka, Minnesota 1990: Debbye Turner of Columbia, Missouri 1991: Marjorie Vincent of Oakpark, Illinois 1992: Carolyn Sapp of Honolulu, Hawaii 1993: Leanza Cornett of Jacksonville, Florida 1994: Kimberly Aiken of Columbia, South Carolina 1995: Heather Whitestone of Birmingham, Alabama 1996: Shawntel Smith of Muldrow, Oklahoma 1997: Tara Dawn Holland of Overland Park, Kansas 1998: Kate Shindle of Evanston, Illinois 1999: Nicole Johnson of Roanoke, Virginia 2000: Heather Renee French of Maysville, Kentucky 2001: Angela Baraquio of Honolulu, Hawaii 2002: Katie Harman of Gresham, Oregon 2003: Erika Harold of Urbana, Illinois 2004: Ericka Dunlap of Orlando, Florida 2005: Deidre Downs of Birmingham, Alabama 2006: Jennifer Berry of Tulsa, Oklahoma 2007: Lauren Nelson of Lawton, Oklahoma 2008: Kirsten Haglund of Farmington Hills, Michigan 2009: Katie Stam of Seymour, Indiana 2010: Caressa Cameron of Fredericksburg, Virginia 2011: Teresa Scanlon of Gering, Nebraska 2012: Laura Kaeppeler of Kenosha, Wisconsin 2013: Mallory Hagan of Brooklyn, New York 2014: Nina Davuluri of Syracuse, New York 2015: Kira Kazantsev of New York City, New York 2016: Betty Cantrell of Warner Robins, Georgia 2017: Savvy Shields of Fayetteville, Arkansas 2018: Cara Mund of Bismarck, North Dakota; 2019 Nia Franklin of New York; 2020 Cammille Schrier of Virginia; 2021 Mikkayla DeBolt of Wyoming; 2022 Emma Broyles of Alaska; 2023 Grace Stanke of Wisconsin; 2024 Madison March of Colorado.
The pageant has long been controversial for its perceived enforcement of restrictive beauty standards; many feel it is reflective of a society that judges women based on their appearances rather than their abilities or accomplishments. A protest against the competiton in 1968, taking place outside the pageant center on the night of the final competition, culminated in the crowning of a sheep as Miss America. The protest gained widespread national attention, not all of it positive; the competition continued without alteration.
In December 2017, the top leadership of the Miss America Organization resigned following a scandal in which it was revealed that they had sent e-mails to one another disparaging pageant contestants. Following this scandal, former Miss Arkansas winner Regina Hopper was named CEO and president, and former Miss America winners Gretchen Carlson and Marjorie Vincent-Tripp were appointed chair of the board of the organization and chair of the associated foundation, respectively. This marked the first time in the organization's history that all three positions were held by women. In 2018, the organization's new leadership announced that the swimsuit and evening gown portions of the competition would be eliminated. They indicated that these changes were intended to make the contest more inclusive of different body types and less focused on appearance.
Bibliography
Criss, Doug, and Carma Hassan. "Miss America Is Scrapping the Swimsuit Portion from Its Pageant." CNN, 5 June 2018, www.cnn.com/2018/06/05/us/miss-america-swimsuit-trnd/index.html. Accessed 1 May 2024.
Rees, Alex. "US Air Force Officer Crowned as 2024 Miss America." CNN, 17 Jan. 2024, www.nytimes.com/2018/06/08/reader-center/pageant-contestants-miss-america.html. Accessed 1 May 2024.
Riverol, A. R. Live from Atlantic City: The History of the Miss America Pageant Before, After and In Spite of Television. Bowling Green State U Popular P, 1992.
Sedgwick, Josephine. "‘You Have to Be Girl-Power Tough’: Pageant Competitors Weigh In on Miss America." The New York Times, 8 June 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/06/08/reader-center/pageant-contestants-miss-america.html. Accessed 1 May 2024.
Shindle, Kate. Being Miss America: Behind the Rhinestone Curtain. U of Texas P, 2014.
Watson, Elwood, and Darcy Martin, editors. "There She Is, Miss America": The Politics of Sex, Beauty, and Race in America's Most Famous Pageant. Palgrave Macmillan, 2004.