How the Miss America pageant ignited a battle over beauty, race and power

Historian Micki McElya revisits one September afternoon in 1968, Atlantic City, when the Miss America pageant collided with a changing country. Her new book is Liberation Summer.

The top 3

  1. First African American Miss America: Vanessa Williams made history as the first African American woman to be crowned Miss America in September 1983, reigning as Miss America 1984. Vanessa Williams
  2. First Miss America Without Swimsuit Competition: The Miss America Organization eliminated the swimsuit competition in 2018, nearly a century after its inception as a "bathing beauty revue," shifting focus to talent, intelligence, and social impact.
  3. First Miss America with a Disability: Heather Whitestone, Miss America 1995, was the first deaf person to win the Miss America pageant, profoundly deaf since 18 months old. Heather Whitestone

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