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Since the introduction of the Miss America Pageant; there have been many contradictions and problems due to it. Especially in 1968 where women revolted against what this contest stood for, what the contest did to other women. In 1968 women protest to attempt to bringing an end to the pageant; women were against a pageant because it judged women off of their physical appearance and their body, not who they truly are. Recently people had begun to fight against this again. Now the Miss America Pageant no longer has a swim suit portion on the competition; focusing more on the personality and the true beauty of the women.
What is the Miss America Pageant?
Miss America is a competition that is held annually and is open to women from the United States between the ages of 17 and 25. Originating in 1921 as a "bathing beauty revue", the contest is now judged on competitors' talent performances and interviews in addition to their physical appearance. It focuses primarily on a women's physical appearance.
Why women were against it in 1968?
In 1968 the pageant led to a spark in the feminist movement. This protest was not just about the pageant but towards how America was treating women at the time. There was a huge dispute about this beauty contest. They thought that being judged on just your appearance was wrong.
Why women are against it presently?
Presently today, women think it is wrong to be judged on your body figure and type- especially one that it broad-casted on national television and has a winner. They think it is wrong to define a winner that is based on appearance and not much else. They thought that women should not be judged only on their physical appearance but also they insight and personal attributes.
How they resolved the problems?
Women protested the image of Miss America, an image that oppresses women in every area in which it purports to represent us.The protest would feature a “freedom trash can” into which women could throw away all the physical manifestations of women’s oppression, such as bras, girdles, curlers, false eyelashes, wigs- items they knew as “instruments of female torture. Presently, For the first time in nearly a century, Miss America contestants will not strut onstage in swimsuits this year, the organizers announced that the pageant will try to redefine its role in an era of female empowerment and gender equality.
Solis, Steph. “Miss America Protest: 6 Things You Probably Didn't Learn in History Class.” USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 13 Sept. 2016, www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2016/09/07/miss-america-protest-1968-things-you-probably-didnt-learn-history-class/89928396/.
Greenfieldboyce, N. (2008, September 05). Pageant Protest Sparked Bra-Burning Myth. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=94240375
Gay, R. (2018, January 01). Fifty Years Ago, Protesters Took on the Miss America Pageant and Electrified the Feminist Movement. Retrieved from https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/fifty-years-ago-protestors-took-on-miss-america-pageant-electrified-feminist-movement-180967504/