 Miss
America Gets Real
"‘Miss
America represents the highest ideals. She is a real combination
of beauty, grace, and intelligence, artistic and refined. She is
a type which the American girl might emulate.’ Those words
were spoken by Atlantic City Chamber of Commerce President Frederick
Hickman more than 75 years ago, and they still ring true today.”
so says the official website of the Miss America Pageant.
What
a lot may or may not know is that the competition began in 1921
as part of a stunt by Atlantic City businessmen to extend the summer
tourist season; though in succeeding years, the Miss America competition
evolved into an American tradition with contestants from each of
the states competing for the coveted title.
Throughout
the years, Miss America has gone through several milestones, most
notably in 1945, when the organization began supporting women’s
education by offering scholarships. Other historic highlights include
in 1954 – the first nationally televised Miss America telecast;
in 1966 – Miss America is broadcast in color, for the first
time; in 1989 – focus on achievement comes of age as the platform
program is introduced; in 1994 – Heather Whitestone, who is
profoundly deaf, is the first woman with a disability to become
Miss America; in 1995 – the Organization has become the largest
provider of scholarships for young women in the world; in 2000 –
Miss America celebrates its 80th Anniversary; and in 2006 –
for the first time in its 85-year history, the pageant moves out
of Atlantic City and moves to Las Vegas.
Those
who dismiss this as nothing more than a “beauty contest”
will be proven wrong, for it has grown, from its humble beginnings
as a “bathing beauty” contest in the ‘20’s,
to today, where the organization has maintained a tradition of empowering
American women to achieve their personal and professional goals,
while providing a forum in which to express their opinions, talent
and intelligence. Last year, the Miss America organization and its
state and local organizations made available more than $45 million
in cash and scholarship assistance.
 Although
a large part of the ‘scoring’ still largely factors
in such categories as “Lifestyle and Fitness in Swimsuit,”
“Evening Wear,” and “Talent;” in all totaling
70 percent, the Miss America judging system distinguishes Miss America
via a form of Olympic scoring where each contestant competes only
against herself.
This
year proves no different, with the organization’s tie-up with
TLC (who gave us the hit shows, What Not To Wear, Miami Ink and
Flip That House) with MISS AMERICA: REALITY CHECK, which began airing
on January 4. For the first time in the 87-year history of Miss
America, everyone in America will have the opportunity to select
one of the finalists, along with the 15 finalists selected by the
judges. This year, a surprise 16th pageant finalist will be announced
during the live finale as a result of MISS AMERICA: AMERICA’S
CHOICE, an online competition that allows viewers to vote for their
favorite Miss America contestant. Fans can vote by visiting http://www.tlc.com/missamerica
and can vote through the final episode on Saturday, January 26.
The contestant with the most votes, who is already not included
as a Top 15 finalist, will be chosen as “America’s Choice,”
and revealed at the MISS AMERICA LIVE! The finale, hosted by Entertainment
Tonight’s Mark Steines, the live pageant is aired from our
very own, Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino, on January 26, 8
p.m. (EST).
A
quick check online reveals Miss Utah and Miss South Carolina as
the hot favorites. The four-part series, (airing every Friday, 10/9
C, TLC) aims to get the 52 contestants to forget everything they’ve
learned in ‘pageant schools’ over the years –
the walk, the talk and the hairspray – and prepare them for
the final competition. As a sign of the times, they are now looking
for “America’s ‘IT’ Girl,” or one
who can connect to today’s modern woman. In the vein of today’s
reality shows, the contestants live under one roof to determine
if their smarts, attitude and looks hold up in contemporary society,
by participating in an intense of events and challenges.
So
this classic, iconic event gets ushered into the modern era and
gets a ‘slight’ makeover. The ladies seem ready, are
you, America?
-Rachel
M. Sugay
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