"There She Is, Miss America": The Politics of Sex, Beauty, and Race in America's Most Famous Pageant |  | Creators: Elwood Watson, Darcy Martin
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Category: EBooks
List Price: $19.95
Buy New: $9.99
You Save: $9.96 (50%)
Rating:  2 reviews
Sales Rank: 34347
Format: Kindle Book
Media: Kindle Edition
Pages: 224
Number Of Items: 1
Dewey Decimal Number: 791.62
ASIN: B000RMTKF2
Publication Date: August 21, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
While some see the Miss American Pageant as hokey vestige of another era, many remain enthralled by the annual Atlantic City event. And whether you love it or hate it, no one can deny the impact the contest has had on American popular culture-indeed, many reality television shows seem to have taken cues from the pageant. Founded in 1921, the Miss America Pageant has provided a fascinating glimpse into how American standards of femininity have been defined, projected, maintained, and challenged. At various times, it has been praised as a positive role model for young American women, protested as degrading to women by feminists, and shamed by scandals, such as the one caused by the Penthouse photos of Vanessa Williams in 1984. In this first interdisciplinary anthology to examine this uniquely American event, scholars defend, critique, and reflect on the pageant, grappling with themes like beauty, race, the body, identity, kitsch, and consumerism. "There She Is, Miss America" provides a fascinating examination of an enduring American icon.
Book Description
While some see the Miss American Pageant as a hokey vestige of another era, many remain enthralled by the annual Atlantic City event. And whether you love it or hate it, no one can deny the impact the contest has had on American popular culture-indeed, many reality television shows seem to have taken cues from the pageant. Founded in 1921, the Miss America Pageant has provided a fascinating glimpse into how American standards of femininity have been defined, projected, maintained, and challenged. At various times, it has been praised as a positive role model for young American women, protested as degrading to women by feminists, and shamed by scandals, such as the one caused by the Penthouse photos of Vanessa Williams in 1984. In this first interdisciplinary anthology to examine this uniquely American event, scholars defend, critique, and reflect on the pageant, grappling with themes like beauty, race, the body, identity, kitsch, and consumerism. "There She Is, Miss America" provides a fascinating examination of an enduring American icon.
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| Customer Reviews:
 Ther she is Miss America: the Politics of sex, beauty & race in America's most famous pageant August 24, 2008
Colin X. Kreitzer
this is the most disappointing book i've even read on the pageant. Poorly written, with way too much analysis of each topic that becomes as remote from the main topic, (the pageant) as it can get. Other books get into the contestants & the comptitions that keep them interesting and readable. This book is completly unfocused & frankly, boring.
 Insightful Scholarship regarding Miss America February 27, 2006
Dr. Andrew J. Deroche (Longmont, CO USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Elwood Watson and Darcy Martin have compiled an interesting and insightful volume on the history and meaning of the Miss America Pagaent. Starting out with their compelling introductory essay, Watson and Martin offer fascinating detail and thoughtful analysis of this classic cultural event. The chapters in this study approach the topic from a wide range of perspectives, from the early days of the extravaganza to the crowning and decrowning of Vanessa Williams in the 1980s to the contoversies of the 21st century. The volume also includes a reprint of an excellent essay from well-known writer Gerald Early. Overall the book is a rewarding read which reminds us that any subject, when researched thoroughly and analyzed skillfully, can be "real" history.
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