The Miss America Pageant

Research Paper # 58014

Gender and Sexuality
History > U.S. After 1865
Women Studies

A report on how the Miss America Pageant reflects American values of womanhood.

3,019 words () | 10 sources | MLA | 2004 United States

Paper Summary:

This paper looks at the history of the Miss America pageant and links it to the changing ideas of womanhood present in American culture since 1921 when the pageant began. An in-depth look at several of the pageant winners compares the image they set forth contrasted with the idea of womanhood present at the time. Specifically, the paper looks at the 1950s as the hey-day of the pageant and the scandals like that of Vanessa Williams, which changed the image of the pageant. This paper also explores why the pageant's appeal has faded in the 21st century.

From the Paper:

"Once upon a time, or so the story goes, there was a great warrior named Paris who was asked to judge who the most beautiful Greek goddess was between Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite. When Paris chose Aphrodite, he was granted the most beautiful woman in the world as his prize, and in taking her caused the outbreak of the Trojan War. Although the beauty pageants that would latter follow this mythic pageant had significantly less dire consequences, beauty pageants have played a role in shaping society. One pageant in particular, the Miss America Pageant, has become a hallmark of American popular culture and has served to reflect the American idea of womanhood. Through its history, the Miss America Pageant has changed to reflect the images of womanhood that America would like to project but it has recently lost popularity due to its concentration on the past ideas of womanhood."