Miss America Essay -- Sociology, Pageant

â€Å"She represents the type of womanhood America needs, strong, red-blooded, able to shoulder the responsibilities of homemaking and motherhood. It is in her type that the hope of the country rests† (Martin & Watson, 2004, p.3). This was Samuel Gompers sharing his thoughts about the very first â€Å"Miss America†, Margaret Gorman. The Miss America Pageant was established in the most fitting of all decades: the 1920s. During a time when women were just starting to experience newfound independence and rights, the Miss America Pageant strengthened the idea that women had more freedom to express themselves. The competition began as a simple tourist attraction, but the fact that the Miss America Pageant survived throughout the decades exemplifies that the competition was so much more. In the year 1921, Conrad Eckhold, the owner of Atlantic City’s Monticello Hotel was looking for a way to keep tourists in town past Labor Day. After discussing the tourist problem with other Atlantic City business owners, the idea of a â€Å"Fall Frolic† was created. The Fall Frolic included a two-day competition to be called â€Å"Atlantic City’s Inter-City Beauty Pageant†, in years after it would be known as the â€Å"Miss America Pageant† (Miss America, 2/20/2011). To become a contestant, women across the country entered themselves into popularity contests that featured their pictures in the newspapers. Editors of the paper then chose winners based on physical appearance. The winners were then given a free trip to Atlantic City where they were placed in the Inter-City Beauty Pageant (Bivans, 1991). The â€Å"Fall Frolic† began with â€Å"King Neptune†, a man named Hudson Maxim, who wore a crown, seaweed robe, and long white beard. King Neptune announced the competitors and partici... ...ever, bad press was bound to come about. Younger girls were often spared criticism, being seen as young and fun-loving. The elder competitors, though, were greatly disapproved of because of the indecency of the pageant (Carter, 1977; Deford, 1971) The Miss America Pageant was a wake-up call for people everywhere. The roles of women were changing, and there was little anyone could do to stop it. New attitudes were showcased in the pageant by young women who were well-educated and ready to take on the world. They inspired people and showed America a different kind of woman, one who was proud of her looks, personality, and intelligence. Not everyone supported the pageant though, and those who did not made their opinions known. The competition had its fair share of scandals as well, but good or bad the Miss America Pageant has enthralled audiences long past the 1920s.