Welcome to The Miss America Cattle Auction

The second wave of feminism impacted on the Miss America Organization in the late sixties and early seventies. Feminists resurfaced and attacked Miss America for being sexist, racist and supporting the US militarisation. The exposition of this beauty pageant led to the redefinition of The Miss America Organization. Protesters compiled of angry women demonstrate their feminist views. Gender inequality was one of, if not the, most problematic issue they had.

Organisations like New York Radical Women, had issues with the objectification and sexualisation of women. They thought the pageants promoted the double standard. Believing that men had an irrational desire that women should be beautiful as well as able to satisfy them sexually, was their largest issue. Young women were judged on their appearance against an unobtainable, standardised and beautified model. This was, and still is, a definite objectification of women. No More Miss America¸ Robin Morgan compared the motives of beauty pageants to that of judging livestock at a county fair. This advertisement of idyllic icons of women was offensive and derogatory. 

1968 saw numerous protests. The demonstration on 7^th September 1968 of 200 members of New York Radical Women and 400 members of the Women’s Liberation Front is one of many. The interruption of Judith Ford (1969 titleholder) caused audible disruption on the telecast, illustrating the impact they made. Feminists argued that they were denying women of their independence and empowering men. The Miss America protests triggered nationwide attention. ‘Real power,’ the feminists claimed, was limited to men only. The New York Radical Women produced a list of objections to the pageants. For example, they questioned why ‘every little boy supposedly can grow up to be president, what can every little girl grow up to be? Miss America. That's where it's at.’ This became the most popular view of the feminist protestors.

Miss America displayed characteristics of racist and militarism views. This created even more uproar in the protests. The ‘lily-white, racist contest,’ offended various women. This sort of racism was an attitude that was held by some states, in this mid era of civil rights in the 20^th century. The First Miss Black America was set up alongside Miss America in Atlanta City, as a protest against the racist arrogances. This organisation still remains today, the first lady to win the title was Saundra Williams, Miss Black America of 1968. The involvement and supposed promotion of the US military was assumed in 1967, when the Miss America contestants were sent to the front line of the Vietnam war to entertain the servicemen. Again, the idea that men were to do the ‘real work’ and women were just to fulfil and satisfy them.

The feminist movement in the sixties was a renowned one. Betty Friedan's, The Feminine Mystique, rapidly communicated with many women of America the media idolisation of the ‘happy housewife’ and the use of women as sexual objects. This was a continuation of the most stereotypical images of women. Protestors were effective in disrupting the telecast and forming a new beauty pageant. However, the Black Miss America did not defy the objectifications that feminists were criticising the contests for. There is still a sense of a feminist struggle with pageants, however the pageants started to encourage educational values from the mid-seventies.

By Adele