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.
  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.

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