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A review by todayitsthis
Looking for Miss America: A Pageant's 100-Year Quest to Define Womanhood by Margot Mifflin
4.0
Prior to reading this, all of my knowledge of Miss America came from the few minutes I had caught on TV while flipping through channels. Who isn’t a little curious about the story behind this event, though?
In this history, Margot Mifflin takes the reader from the very first regional pageant in September 1921 to today’s version of this competition. Mifflin does a wonderful job pulling back to look at the trajectory of the pageant throughout various points in its history but also zooming in to share details and stories from notable contestants. She balances analysis, history, and contestant stories in a very engaging manner.
While this is by no means a scathing takedown of pageant culture, Mifflin devotes a lot of space to discussing racism and feminism in relation to this contest that has often represented the “ideal American woman.”
If you have any interest in learning about the evolution of American womanhood (or just want to understand this well-known contest), add this to your list.
In this history, Margot Mifflin takes the reader from the very first regional pageant in September 1921 to today’s version of this competition. Mifflin does a wonderful job pulling back to look at the trajectory of the pageant throughout various points in its history but also zooming in to share details and stories from notable contestants. She balances analysis, history, and contestant stories in a very engaging manner.
While this is by no means a scathing takedown of pageant culture, Mifflin devotes a lot of space to discussing racism and feminism in relation to this contest that has often represented the “ideal American woman.”
If you have any interest in learning about the evolution of American womanhood (or just want to understand this well-known contest), add this to your list.