Division reigns over Miss America’s future
Things get ugly behind the scenes as event navigates new era of feminism
We live in a divided America these days so, of course, we’re divided over Miss America, too, even as antiquated notions of “beauty” lose their cultural significance. Maybe because of that.
So here we are again, back in Atlantic City, New Jersey, where 51 women from the states and the District of Columbia arrived to “compete” for the title of Miss America even as the people running the show carry on their combat behind the scenes, on social media or even in the streets.
On the surface, the conflict is about whether contestants should compete in skimpy swimsuits, long a part of pageant protocol. Below the surface, it’s about who controls the 97-year-old Miss America brand. And deeper still, it’s about America’s latest wrestling match over the meaning of feminism and female empowerment in the 21st century.
It’s all a deadly serious matter to critics, defenders and fervent fans of these annual displays of comely young women parading down runways in gowns and crowns.
The 2019 Miss America Competition will be broadcast live on Sept. 9 on ABC (9 p.m. EDT/PDT), co-hosted by “Dancing With the Stars” judge Carrie Ann Inaba and Ross Mathews, a panelist from “RuPaul’s Drag Race.”
Who’s involved and what’s their beef ? We explain: