Feminist Criticism of the Miss America Pageant
What’s Wrong With Beauty Pageants?
What's wrong with beauty pageants? Why did feminists of the 1960s protest Miss America? A list of 10 women's liberation objections to the Miss America pageant.
Feminists Turn Miss America 1968 into the Miss America Protest
Read about the most famous of protests of the Miss America pageant.
Bra Burning Feminists of the Sixties - NOT
Did 1960s feminists burn bras at a Miss America protest? Find out the truth of this rumor.
'Miss America as Big Sister Watching You'
Feminists in 1968 protested the Miss America pageant and analyzed the harm beauty pageants do to women. Why did they describe Miss America as "Big Sister watching you"?
'The Unbeatable Madonna-Whore Combination'
Read more about the classic dichotomy in images of women and the women's liberation response.
'Miss America As Dream Equivalent To...'
Was the Miss America dream for girls equivalent to boys imagining they could grow up to be president?
'Miss America as Military Death Mascot'
Read about feminist resistance to supporting injustice with beauty pageants.
'The Consumer Con Game' of Beauty Pageants
What is the consumer con game of beauty pageants? According to women's liberation activists, it was another way for the corporate powers that be to use women to make a profit.
'Racism With Roses'
Is the Miss America pageant racist? Was it racist during the 1960s? Find out why feminist protesters called the pageant "Racism With Roses."
'The Woman as Pop Culture Obsolescent Theme'
How does Miss America contribute to the idea of woman as pop culture obsolescent? Feminist protesters criticized the Miss America pageant for its obsession with youthful beauty.
Beauty Pageants as 'Competition Rigged and Unrigged'
What was wrong with Miss America, according to 1960s feminists? One problem was the pageant's emphasis on "competition, rigged and unrigged." According to feminist protesters, the Miss America pageant reflected the ruthless competition throughout a society that thought winning was everything.
'The Degrading Mindless-Boob-Girlie Symbol'
What inspired the phrase "degrading mindless-boob-girlie symbol" and when was it written? Learn about the 1968 Miss America protest and feminist objections to the ludicrous beauty standards of the pageant.
‘The Irrelevant Crown on the Throne of Mediocrity’
Learn how the Miss America pageant changed in the years following the 1968 women's liberation protest.