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The Pink Dress: A Memoir of a Reluctant Beauty Queen
For fans of Little Miss Sunshine and Secrets of Miss America, this memoir from a national award-winning author reveals the reality of being the first Guyrex Girl in the 1970s. Beauty pageant stories have never been this raw, this real.
Growing up in West Texas, Jane Little Botkin didn’t have designs on becoming a beauty queen. But not long after joining a pageant on a whim in college, she became the first protégé of El Paso’s Richard Guy and Rex Holt, known as the “Kings of Beauty”—just as the 1970’s counterculture movement began to take off.
A pink, rose-covered gown—a Guyrex creation—symbolizes the fairy tale life that young women in Jane’s time imagined beauty queens had. Its near destruction exposes the author’s failed relationship with her mother, and her parents’ failed relationship with one another. Weaving these narrative threads together is the Wild West notion that anything is possible, especially do-overs.
The Pink Dress awakens nostalgia for the 1960s and 1970s, the era’s conflicts and growth pains. A common expectation that women went to college to get “MRS” degrees—to find a husband and become a stay-at-home wife and mother—often prevailed. How does one swim upstream against this notion among feminist voices that protest “If You Want Meat, Go to a Butcher!” at beauty pageants, two flamboyant showmen, and a developing awareness of self? Torn between women’s traditional roles and what women could be, Guyrex Girls evolved, as did the author.
Growing up in West Texas, Jane Little Botkin didn’t have designs on becoming a beauty queen. But not long after joining a pageant on a whim in college, she became the first protégé of El Paso’s Richard Guy and Rex Holt, known as the “Kings of Beauty”—just as the 1970’s counterculture movement began to take off.
A pink, rose-covered gown—a Guyrex creation—symbolizes the fairy tale life that young women in Jane’s time imagined beauty queens had. Its near destruction exposes the author’s failed relationship with her mother, and her parents’ failed relationship with one another. Weaving these narrative threads together is the Wild West notion that anything is possible, especially do-overs.
The Pink Dress awakens nostalgia for the 1960s and 1970s, the era’s conflicts and growth pains. A common expectation that women went to college to get “MRS” degrees—to find a husband and become a stay-at-home wife and mother—often prevailed. How does one swim upstream against this notion among feminist voices that protest “If You Want Meat, Go to a Butcher!” at beauty pageants, two flamboyant showmen, and a developing awareness of self? Torn between women’s traditional roles and what women could be, Guyrex Girls evolved, as did the author.
- GenresMemoirNonfiction
304 pages, Paperback
Published September 10, 2024
10 people are currently reading
2632 people want to read
About the author
Jane Little Botkin
4 books41 followersAWARDS
2025 Downing Journalism Finalist Award
2025 Foreword Indies Awards Honorable Mention in Pop Culture
2022 Barbara Sudler Award for Best Book about the American West by a Woman
2022 Caroline Bancroft History Prize, Best Book on Colorado or Western American History
2022 Colorado Humanities Book Award Finalist, Biography
2022 Foreword Indies Awards in Women's Studies, Bronze Medal
2022 Sarton Book Award Women Studies Finalist
2022 Willa Literary Award Scholarly Nonfiction Finalist
2018 Caroline Bancroft History Prize, Best Book on Colorado or Western American History
2018 High Plains Book Award Nonfiction Finalist
2018 Independent Publisher Book Award Bronze Medal
2018 Oklahoma Nonfiction Book Award Finalist
2018 Spur Award for Best Biography
2018 Spur Award for Best First Nonfiction
2018 Texas Nonfiction Book Award
National award-winning author Jane Little Botkin melds personal narratives of American families, often with compelling stories of western women. Her books have won numerous awards in biography, western historical nonfiction, and women’s studies.
The Pink Dress, Memoir of a Reluctant Beauty Queen released September 10, 2024 (She Writes Press pub/Simon & Schuster distributor). Jane is currently working on The Breath of a Buffalo, a biography of Mary Ann (Molly) Goodnight, scheduled for release in early 2026, University of Oklahoma Press.
A member of Western Writers of America since 2017, Jane sat on its board of directors and served as vice president. She judges entries for the WWA's prestigious Spur Award, reviews new releases, and writes articles for various magazines.
A late-bloomer, Jane served as a public-school teacher for thirty years before turning to historical investigation and writing. In 2008 the Texas state legislature honored her career in education by formal resolution. Now she blissfully escapes into her literary world in the remote White Mountain Wilderness near Nogal, New Mexico.
2025 Downing Journalism Finalist Award
2025 Foreword Indies Awards Honorable Mention in Pop Culture
2022 Barbara Sudler Award for Best Book about the American West by a Woman
2022 Caroline Bancroft History Prize, Best Book on Colorado or Western American History
2022 Colorado Humanities Book Award Finalist, Biography
2022 Foreword Indies Awards in Women's Studies, Bronze Medal
2022 Sarton Book Award Women Studies Finalist
2022 Willa Literary Award Scholarly Nonfiction Finalist
2018 Caroline Bancroft History Prize, Best Book on Colorado or Western American History
2018 High Plains Book Award Nonfiction Finalist
2018 Independent Publisher Book Award Bronze Medal
2018 Oklahoma Nonfiction Book Award Finalist
2018 Spur Award for Best Biography
2018 Spur Award for Best First Nonfiction
2018 Texas Nonfiction Book Award
National award-winning author Jane Little Botkin melds personal narratives of American families, often with compelling stories of western women. Her books have won numerous awards in biography, western historical nonfiction, and women’s studies.
The Pink Dress, Memoir of a Reluctant Beauty Queen released September 10, 2024 (She Writes Press pub/Simon & Schuster distributor). Jane is currently working on The Breath of a Buffalo, a biography of Mary Ann (Molly) Goodnight, scheduled for release in early 2026, University of Oklahoma Press.
A member of Western Writers of America since 2017, Jane sat on its board of directors and served as vice president. She judges entries for the WWA's prestigious Spur Award, reviews new releases, and writes articles for various magazines.
A late-bloomer, Jane served as a public-school teacher for thirty years before turning to historical investigation and writing. In 2008 the Texas state legislature honored her career in education by formal resolution. Now she blissfully escapes into her literary world in the remote White Mountain Wilderness near Nogal, New Mexico.
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September 12, 2024
This was an interesting memoir of a beauty queen when women's roles in the world were much different than they are now.
The setting is El Paso, Texas. I have spent a lot of time in the Rio Grande Valley. It was interesting reading about the culture and lifestyles in the area during 1960s-1970s.
The beauty pageant world is not the glamorous life that most people imagine it to be. It's gruelling, it's tense and (my impression) mostly it's not fun. The organizers are ruthless, constantly pushing the contestants. Constant pressure about one thing or another.
Besides the pageants and competition atmosphere, the author is dealing with a toxic home situation with her parents.
The author has inserted a few photos throughout the book. It personalizes her experience…..puts a face to the story. The writing style was easy and flowing, making it a fast and entertaining read.
Even though the Women's Movement has managed to make changes to the Pageant World, I suspect that many things still have not changed.
Informative and eye-opening.
Thank you to the author for the Advance Readers Copy.
The setting is El Paso, Texas. I have spent a lot of time in the Rio Grande Valley. It was interesting reading about the culture and lifestyles in the area during 1960s-1970s.
The beauty pageant world is not the glamorous life that most people imagine it to be. It's gruelling, it's tense and (my impression) mostly it's not fun. The organizers are ruthless, constantly pushing the contestants. Constant pressure about one thing or another.
Besides the pageants and competition atmosphere, the author is dealing with a toxic home situation with her parents.
The author has inserted a few photos throughout the book. It personalizes her experience…..puts a face to the story. The writing style was easy and flowing, making it a fast and entertaining read.
Even though the Women's Movement has managed to make changes to the Pageant World, I suspect that many things still have not changed.
Informative and eye-opening.
Thank you to the author for the Advance Readers Copy.
October 19, 2024
This is a refreshingly honest account of what it's like to be in a beauty pageant in the 1970s. The author does not attempt to vilify pageants Little Miss Sunshine style nor does she sugarcoat her experiences. It is a compelling autobiography of a young woman who is whisked away by a startup team of "pageant groomers" and presented with an array of gorgeous gowns, sponsorship opportunities, and public appearances. Not all of the stereotypes are exaggerated as she describes her struggles to maintain a 19-inch waist. The story is told from a genuine and heartfelt perspective that gives an accurate behind-the-scenes look of all the ups and downs of life as a beauty queen.
May 1, 2024
Great Story!!
Not your typical beauty queen book! What great story. This was so fun and exciting!! 🥰
Not your typical beauty queen book! What great story. This was so fun and exciting!! 🥰
December 9, 2025
Loved this book. Such a great story told between Janes life and her relationship with Guyrex. I love beauty contents and this did not disappoint! Thanks NetGallery!
June 22, 2024
I was given an Advance Reader Copy of this book to review. I do like a good memoir, and this one focuses on Jane Little Botkin’s experience in the beauty pageant world. She was the first “Guyrex Girl” in Texas, 1971. She entered the pageantry world on pressure (?) encouragement from her sorority sisters and the prize of a $4,000 scholarship. While controversial, beauty pageants were a way for young women to acquire wealth and scholarships. The price was often dear, as described in Jane’s book. Starvation diets, control over every aspect of the contestants’ lives, exploitation, alienation from family and friends, and lasting effects of eating disorders and body dysmorphia. Jane describes it all. But, it wasn’t all bad. She had some shining moments as well, meeting celebrities and sharing the spotlight. Jane Little Botkin bares it all in her memoir.
June 11, 2024
Jane Little Botkin's newest book is a captivating memoir about a symbolic pink dress, a West Texas girl turned reluctant beauty queen, a dysfunctional family, and two flamboyant men who make history in the pageantry world. Their stories intertwine and are framed by national and international politics of the border towns of El Paso and Juarez during the turbulent times of 197o's with war, political scandals, and violent demonstrations. Botkin's straightforward narrative is told in a conversational tone with a sense of earnestness and wry humor. With deep insight, Botkin bares her soul in this memoir, struggling to stay true to herself and her values. Her resilient spirit helped her navigate a troubled relationship with her mother, accepting the fact that not all failed relationships can be fixed.
Botkin takes the reader on a deep dive into the world of beauty pageantry. I was captivated by the author's descriptive writing, which gives readers a fascinating portrayal of beauty contestants' lives and what backstage life was all about. I found the book informative and an eye-opener into a world that I knew little about.
At age 19, Botkin, as Miss Runner-Up, was promoted to Miss El Paso when the elected queen withdrew for personal reasons. With the acceptance of the crown, in a surprise move, Botkins's mother, who had masterminded all of Botkin's life and activities up until then, relinquished her custodianship of Miss El Paso to the Miss America pageant franchise. Botkin became the first Guyrex protege. Richard Guy and Rex Holt were two men who understood success was all about showmanship. They created pageants like theatrical shows that were wild and imaginative. For the next year, all of Botkin's life was managed by Guyrex Associates. They were her “handlers," covering every aspect of her, from choosing her wardrobe, limiting food to maintain a certain body image, and keeping a constant rigid schedule. For a 19-year-old, it was a lot of pressure, but winning a title was not just about fame for any of these contestants. It was looking ahead at future endorsements, professional employment, and money.
Botkin's retellings of behind-the-scenes were hilarious. I particularly enjoyed the one about a middle-of-the-night snack episode gorging on a large Texas sheet cake they were denied having earlier in the day by their “handlers.”
The pink dress with embroidered roses was a Guyrex creation. It symbolized a fairy tale life young women in Botkin's time imagined beauty queens would wear. Botkin was fortunate to own this stunning gown. I would be remiss if I didn't mention the book cover. The simplicity of this exquisite gown featured makes for an eye-catching cover. Wearing this gown for her piano talent competition contest gave Botkin an aura of confidence. Later in the story, we learn the dress almost met its demise in the hands of Botkin's mother.
Actual photos from Botkin's album made her memoir come alive. I highly recommend the book, which takes the reader on a wild ride through the West and into the behind-the-scenes of beauty pageantry. It is definitely a 5-star book. I devoured it in a day.
Botkin takes the reader on a deep dive into the world of beauty pageantry. I was captivated by the author's descriptive writing, which gives readers a fascinating portrayal of beauty contestants' lives and what backstage life was all about. I found the book informative and an eye-opener into a world that I knew little about.
At age 19, Botkin, as Miss Runner-Up, was promoted to Miss El Paso when the elected queen withdrew for personal reasons. With the acceptance of the crown, in a surprise move, Botkins's mother, who had masterminded all of Botkin's life and activities up until then, relinquished her custodianship of Miss El Paso to the Miss America pageant franchise. Botkin became the first Guyrex protege. Richard Guy and Rex Holt were two men who understood success was all about showmanship. They created pageants like theatrical shows that were wild and imaginative. For the next year, all of Botkin's life was managed by Guyrex Associates. They were her “handlers," covering every aspect of her, from choosing her wardrobe, limiting food to maintain a certain body image, and keeping a constant rigid schedule. For a 19-year-old, it was a lot of pressure, but winning a title was not just about fame for any of these contestants. It was looking ahead at future endorsements, professional employment, and money.
Botkin's retellings of behind-the-scenes were hilarious. I particularly enjoyed the one about a middle-of-the-night snack episode gorging on a large Texas sheet cake they were denied having earlier in the day by their “handlers.”
The pink dress with embroidered roses was a Guyrex creation. It symbolized a fairy tale life young women in Botkin's time imagined beauty queens would wear. Botkin was fortunate to own this stunning gown. I would be remiss if I didn't mention the book cover. The simplicity of this exquisite gown featured makes for an eye-catching cover. Wearing this gown for her piano talent competition contest gave Botkin an aura of confidence. Later in the story, we learn the dress almost met its demise in the hands of Botkin's mother.
Actual photos from Botkin's album made her memoir come alive. I highly recommend the book, which takes the reader on a wild ride through the West and into the behind-the-scenes of beauty pageantry. It is definitely a 5-star book. I devoured it in a day.
December 9, 2024
As a mother, daughter, sister, and woman this book really stood out to me. It wasn’t the feminine cover with the gorgeous dress, but rather the title which included the phrase “Reluctant Beauty Queen” that caught my attention. As women we are taught, shown, and guided to embrace our femininity. Whether through the clothes we wear, the way we carry ourselves, and most of all our body image and weight. So, how does one become a “reluctant beauty queen” and even more so how does one come about sharing their experiences for the world to read?
As a woman I’ll confess, most of us have one thing in our closet we just can’t bring ourselves to let go of. For me it’s a pair of shoes, for others it might be their “skinny jeans” or even a shirt they felt so sexy in, that confidence boosting outfit. But for author Jane Little Botkin, or Janie as many refer to her, that pink dress with the empire waist, adorned with silk pink roses around its scoped neckline is the item that remains in her closet – the dress with a history like none other as it marked the beginning of the “GuyRex Girl.”
Taking readers on a wild ride through her parental upbringing, El Paso, the Miss Texas-Miss America culture and the rise of GuyRex, “The Pink Dress” represents so much more than that dress in her closet. It represents an era, an era she reluctantly kick-started when she came across a flyer in college and was selected as Miss El Paso.
Richard Guy and Rex Holt met as dance instructors. However, they quickly took El Paso by storm as they became renowned for their winning parade floats, lavishly decorated Montana Avenue house, and in 1970 their purchase of the Miss America contest in El Paso. Miss America was a household name at the time, watching the pageant on TV every September brought families together. Shifting from football to feminine beauty and talents, Miss America was a podium many only fantasized about.
From college sorority to the Texas stage, struggling family life to coming together for a cause, “The Pink Dress” was truly a revolution. It ushered in the first of a long line of “GuyRex Girls,” placing El Paso on the Miss America map, and bringing experiences to Janie’s life for decades to come. As readers experience Janie’s starvation, gain deeper insights into the Miss Texas Pageant scene, El Paso in particular, and understand the push and pull of the GuyRex landscape and Janie’s family unit, it becomes ever clearer the reluctance as events unfold that cause this beauty queen to emerge.
A powerful look at one woman’s rise on the Miss Texas-Miss America stage, Jane Little Botkin’s memoir is a celebration of femininity, culture, and strength.
As a woman I’ll confess, most of us have one thing in our closet we just can’t bring ourselves to let go of. For me it’s a pair of shoes, for others it might be their “skinny jeans” or even a shirt they felt so sexy in, that confidence boosting outfit. But for author Jane Little Botkin, or Janie as many refer to her, that pink dress with the empire waist, adorned with silk pink roses around its scoped neckline is the item that remains in her closet – the dress with a history like none other as it marked the beginning of the “GuyRex Girl.”
Taking readers on a wild ride through her parental upbringing, El Paso, the Miss Texas-Miss America culture and the rise of GuyRex, “The Pink Dress” represents so much more than that dress in her closet. It represents an era, an era she reluctantly kick-started when she came across a flyer in college and was selected as Miss El Paso.
Richard Guy and Rex Holt met as dance instructors. However, they quickly took El Paso by storm as they became renowned for their winning parade floats, lavishly decorated Montana Avenue house, and in 1970 their purchase of the Miss America contest in El Paso. Miss America was a household name at the time, watching the pageant on TV every September brought families together. Shifting from football to feminine beauty and talents, Miss America was a podium many only fantasized about.
From college sorority to the Texas stage, struggling family life to coming together for a cause, “The Pink Dress” was truly a revolution. It ushered in the first of a long line of “GuyRex Girls,” placing El Paso on the Miss America map, and bringing experiences to Janie’s life for decades to come. As readers experience Janie’s starvation, gain deeper insights into the Miss Texas Pageant scene, El Paso in particular, and understand the push and pull of the GuyRex landscape and Janie’s family unit, it becomes ever clearer the reluctance as events unfold that cause this beauty queen to emerge.
A powerful look at one woman’s rise on the Miss Texas-Miss America stage, Jane Little Botkin’s memoir is a celebration of femininity, culture, and strength.
June 8, 2024
Growing up in the 60’s, my family gathered around the television to watch Miss America crowded each year. We’d judge the contestants and pick our favorites. Miss Texas was always among our top finalists. “Those Texas girls are always prettiest,” I remember saying.
“No,” my mother had replied. “They’re the most polished.” She didn’t know what a “GuyRex Girl” was then, but my mother hit the nail on the head.
The Pink Dress, Jane Little Botkin’s memoir of her days as Miss El Paso, takes readers backstage into the pageant world. Botkin was the first girl to be shaped into the perfect marketing tool by two ambitious promoters. Attended by a cast of colorful—and sometimes shady—characters, Jane Little comes of age in the spotlight. She was a beautiful instrument used to further everyone’s aspirations but her own. Even her battling parents set aside hostilities long enough to be a part of their daughter’s rise to celebrity. Jane carried all of El Paso’s hopes on her young shoulders as she strode the runway. Still a kid, she didn’t fully realize beauty was a business and she was a product.
Readers’ stomachs will grumble as she diets and exercises her way to an impossibly tiny waist. They will rail when she is betrayed by the very people who promoted her. They will weep when her self-centered mother cuts up the dreamy pink dress, a symbol of Jane’s All-American beauty and innocence. But don’t despair; Jane’s story is a tale about second chances, a parable of learning and moving forward. Jane emerges from the pageant circuit stronger and wiser, ready to grow into a happy healthy adult.
Highly recommended for all those women who as girls imagined what it would be like…
(I received a free advance copy. This is my honest review.)
“No,” my mother had replied. “They’re the most polished.” She didn’t know what a “GuyRex Girl” was then, but my mother hit the nail on the head.
The Pink Dress, Jane Little Botkin’s memoir of her days as Miss El Paso, takes readers backstage into the pageant world. Botkin was the first girl to be shaped into the perfect marketing tool by two ambitious promoters. Attended by a cast of colorful—and sometimes shady—characters, Jane Little comes of age in the spotlight. She was a beautiful instrument used to further everyone’s aspirations but her own. Even her battling parents set aside hostilities long enough to be a part of their daughter’s rise to celebrity. Jane carried all of El Paso’s hopes on her young shoulders as she strode the runway. Still a kid, she didn’t fully realize beauty was a business and she was a product.
Readers’ stomachs will grumble as she diets and exercises her way to an impossibly tiny waist. They will rail when she is betrayed by the very people who promoted her. They will weep when her self-centered mother cuts up the dreamy pink dress, a symbol of Jane’s All-American beauty and innocence. But don’t despair; Jane’s story is a tale about second chances, a parable of learning and moving forward. Jane emerges from the pageant circuit stronger and wiser, ready to grow into a happy healthy adult.
Highly recommended for all those women who as girls imagined what it would be like…
(I received a free advance copy. This is my honest review.)
July 17, 2024
I love memoirs.
Especially ones that aren’t sugarcoated, glossed over, buried under a thick layer of sentiments of the times bygones.
This one was definitely a unique read, even as a memoir. Despite every memoir being unique (because aren’t we all unique, I believe no two people are alike, no two lives are alike, and no two memoirs can ever be alike), this one stands out from the rest of them – mostly because I had never read a memoir of a pageant girl from THAT era. There are memoirs written by and about modern-day toddler pageant survivors (yes, I’m using that word intentionally), and then there are memoirs of models and movie stars. Still, I admit I knew little about pageants in the 1960s and 1970s. This book made me go down the rabbit hole of looking up many Miss USA and other Miss pageant winners, I looked up what they did later in their lives. I even found a lady from my birth country (it’s in Europe) who got to be a Miss USA and entered the pageant only to make money, only for scholarship opportunities, hoping to pave her way to a better future.
This book is no happy fairytale – it shows all the dreams and illusions girls used to have when they entered the world of pageants. It’s raw, it’s real. It’s beautifully written. It’s also an incredibly feminist read, it’s a tale of a strong woman who knew what she wanted and who persisted, despite it not being quite in alignment with that time’s “traditional values” of what a woman was supposed to want to do with her life.
Especially ones that aren’t sugarcoated, glossed over, buried under a thick layer of sentiments of the times bygones.
This one was definitely a unique read, even as a memoir. Despite every memoir being unique (because aren’t we all unique, I believe no two people are alike, no two lives are alike, and no two memoirs can ever be alike), this one stands out from the rest of them – mostly because I had never read a memoir of a pageant girl from THAT era. There are memoirs written by and about modern-day toddler pageant survivors (yes, I’m using that word intentionally), and then there are memoirs of models and movie stars. Still, I admit I knew little about pageants in the 1960s and 1970s. This book made me go down the rabbit hole of looking up many Miss USA and other Miss pageant winners, I looked up what they did later in their lives. I even found a lady from my birth country (it’s in Europe) who got to be a Miss USA and entered the pageant only to make money, only for scholarship opportunities, hoping to pave her way to a better future.
This book is no happy fairytale – it shows all the dreams and illusions girls used to have when they entered the world of pageants. It’s raw, it’s real. It’s beautifully written. It’s also an incredibly feminist read, it’s a tale of a strong woman who knew what she wanted and who persisted, despite it not being quite in alignment with that time’s “traditional values” of what a woman was supposed to want to do with her life.
April 20, 2024
Out in the West Texas town of El Paso, once lived a college girl named Jane. Not only was she a scholar and a beauty, but also is the accomplished author of The Pink Dress. Ms. Jane Little Botkin takes the reader on a magic carpet ride into the past, present, and future. The reader has a front row seat into the hidden world of beauty pageants, national and international politics of a 1970’s Bordertown, as well as, weaving the state of affairs of our country during turbulent times. She explores the impact of interpersonal relationships between family members, and key players in the making of a beauty queen in the midst of Women Libbers burning their bras , and young men being drafted to fight in the Vietnam War. Life in the U.S. was dotted with free spirits, free love, and illegal drugs. Corruption abound. Amid this chaos, Jane even manages to insert behind the scenes shenanigans that made a reluctant coed the prote’ge’ of the Guyrex Dynasty.
There’s a little of something to wet the appetite of every reader. Even if you didn’t grow up in the 70’s or in the SW. , the universal themes will excite your senses and make you want to read more. I hope you enjoy
The Pink Dress as much as I did!!
Sincerely, Laurel Roberts
There’s a little of something to wet the appetite of every reader. Even if you didn’t grow up in the 70’s or in the SW. , the universal themes will excite your senses and make you want to read more. I hope you enjoy
The Pink Dress as much as I did!!
Sincerely, Laurel Roberts
April 21, 2024
The Pink Dress
by Jane Little Botkin
Book review by
Judy Campos
April, 2024
Beauty pageants, a starry-eyed girl’s dream come true
or a young girl’s coming of age nightmare?
You decide.
Jane Little Botkin slowly opens the heavy jib door to the 1970’s fascinating pageant world-more specifically the
GuyRex Kingdom set in
West Texas.
Kings of Beautys,
Richard Guy and Rex Holt were befittingly labeled.
Jane, with her lively and intricate details, proves these men were
kings,
magicians,
sculptors…and yet… sometimes inexperienced handlers.
They could take a young girl, still a whisper of a bud, and
force bloom her into a stunning, breath-taking beauty with an unbelievably enchanting and polished presence-but at what cost?
The author,
Jane Little Botkin will tell you at what cost.
This is the spellbinding story of her life experiences in the pageant world which involves
the good, the beautiful, the bad, and the ugly.
This book evoked every emotion I own.
Journey with Jane and observe the world of beautifully flawed people, and the thrilling, galvanic, and mad hatter world
called beauty pageants.
Jane Little Botkin has opened the door.
Step in
and hang onto your crown.
by Jane Little Botkin
Book review by
Judy Campos
April, 2024
Beauty pageants, a starry-eyed girl’s dream come true
or a young girl’s coming of age nightmare?
You decide.
Jane Little Botkin slowly opens the heavy jib door to the 1970’s fascinating pageant world-more specifically the
GuyRex Kingdom set in
West Texas.
Kings of Beautys,
Richard Guy and Rex Holt were befittingly labeled.
Jane, with her lively and intricate details, proves these men were
kings,
magicians,
sculptors…and yet… sometimes inexperienced handlers.
They could take a young girl, still a whisper of a bud, and
force bloom her into a stunning, breath-taking beauty with an unbelievably enchanting and polished presence-but at what cost?
The author,
Jane Little Botkin will tell you at what cost.
This is the spellbinding story of her life experiences in the pageant world which involves
the good, the beautiful, the bad, and the ugly.
This book evoked every emotion I own.
Journey with Jane and observe the world of beautifully flawed people, and the thrilling, galvanic, and mad hatter world
called beauty pageants.
Jane Little Botkin has opened the door.
Step in
and hang onto your crown.
April 15, 2024
The Pink Dress. More than a memoir! Jane offers up a juicy look behind the curtains of the Beauty Queen stage. The 1970’s were full of fresh ideas, flaming conflicts and new opportunities for women and minorities. There was the Viet Nam war. There were political scandals, violent demonstrations and even still there were Beauty Pageants. Jane sets her stage with all the upheavals of the ‘70’s and the difficulties a sweet, kind and pretty teen had to navigate around her family’s dysfunction as “the never sought after” opportunity presented itself. Jane opens the door to El Paso’s Wild West culture among the gritty, yet fawned after elites of the biggest small town in Texas. Richard Guy and Rex Holt (GuyRex) dug their way in and with Jane began a dynasty. These “Boys” were the Beauty Pageant Kings who started their rule with a very reluctant and serendipitous Miss El Paso.
Jane, as demonstrated in her previous books, has an incredible knack in bringing the written word into rich, vibrant focus. The dress is beautiful…but let me tell you, “IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT THE DRESS!”
I highly recommend!
Jane, as demonstrated in her previous books, has an incredible knack in bringing the written word into rich, vibrant focus. The dress is beautiful…but let me tell you, “IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT THE DRESS!”
I highly recommend!
May 10, 2024
This memoir by Jane Little Botkin is a fascinating journey through the backstage world of beauty pageants and their influencers in the west Texas of the 1970s—but it’s also a partial recounting of a transitional era in American culture, a time when peace protestors went into exile in Canada for refusing the Vietnam draft, and the nightly news was filled with horrific, never-before-seen war photos.
It was a new world, women coming into their own in a male dominated society…eager, yes, but walking the tightrope between dependence and autonomy with parents, friends, and partners... judged (both by others and themselves) on face and figure, scorned for being ‘unwomanly’ or a 'women's' libber'.
I laughed and cried (who doesn’t remember the duct-tape breast 'lifts'?), recalling the plus side of inventions like panty hose, hand-held hair dryers, and electric curlers…and some of the negatives like ‘charm school’, required home-ec classes in sewing and cooking, the fight to wear pants in school, and the denial of school-subsidized girls' sports...
Definitely a 'good read'!
It was a new world, women coming into their own in a male dominated society…eager, yes, but walking the tightrope between dependence and autonomy with parents, friends, and partners... judged (both by others and themselves) on face and figure, scorned for being ‘unwomanly’ or a 'women's' libber'.
I laughed and cried (who doesn’t remember the duct-tape breast 'lifts'?), recalling the plus side of inventions like panty hose, hand-held hair dryers, and electric curlers…and some of the negatives like ‘charm school’, required home-ec classes in sewing and cooking, the fight to wear pants in school, and the denial of school-subsidized girls' sports...
Definitely a 'good read'!
September 10, 2024
I love this book!
Having grown up in Texas, I find the blend of historical significance and everyday real-life storytelling to be beautiful. I learned so much about the era, West Texas, and the pageant world that I never expected.
The story drew me in from the first page. I've cried, I’ve laughed, I’ve cycled through the various emotions the author must have felt while going through the different situations. I've knowingly nodded my head as she describes certain family, friends, and acquaintances. I know people JUST like that!
It all feels so real, so familiar, and yet fascinatingly different. She weaves the story of her own life, the insecurities, the challenges, the doubt that every girl and woman face, multiplied a thousand-fold by the pageantry, but still resounding so clearly in my own heart.
The way in which life, and in some cases circumstances that were not desired or intended, have shaped her, bringing her through dark times to a loving acceptance speaks encouragement to me as I see my own children start to leave the nest I’ve worked so hard create for them. I am inspired by this raw glimpse into a life that has touched so many other souls.
Having grown up in Texas, I find the blend of historical significance and everyday real-life storytelling to be beautiful. I learned so much about the era, West Texas, and the pageant world that I never expected.
The story drew me in from the first page. I've cried, I’ve laughed, I’ve cycled through the various emotions the author must have felt while going through the different situations. I've knowingly nodded my head as she describes certain family, friends, and acquaintances. I know people JUST like that!
It all feels so real, so familiar, and yet fascinatingly different. She weaves the story of her own life, the insecurities, the challenges, the doubt that every girl and woman face, multiplied a thousand-fold by the pageantry, but still resounding so clearly in my own heart.
The way in which life, and in some cases circumstances that were not desired or intended, have shaped her, bringing her through dark times to a loving acceptance speaks encouragement to me as I see my own children start to leave the nest I’ve worked so hard create for them. I am inspired by this raw glimpse into a life that has touched so many other souls.
September 12, 2024
As a former classmate of the author growing up in El Paso, I had eagerly anticipated the publication of this book. Yesterday, I received promptly via Amazon my copy (nothing like holding a real book in your hands). At bedtime last night, I started reading knowing this was the “appetizer” to the main course to follow….and was quickly captivated until this “beauty” queen needed to sleep. Being a typical night for me in my old age, I intermittently woke up throughout the night, opened the book and devoured more enticing tidbits waking to a new day hungry for more…there are a lot of cultural dissimilarities and physical distance between the West Texas border town of El Paso and Upstate SC where I now lay my head; however, I have tremendous confidence saying that despite those differences there are enough commonalities with other parts of the country that any reader picking up this book will devour it “with gusto.” You may ask, “why would I associate my pleasure in reading this book with eating?” In Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs food is one of the basic needs along with the air to breathe and water. This book satiates that need most pleasantly.
October 16, 2024
Fulfilling hopes and dreams came at a price for young West Texas beauty contestant Jane Little during the tumultuous 70s
.
She was the first Guyrex beauty pageant girl and was crowned Miss El Paso in 1971. Guyrex, Richard Guy and Rex Holt, known as the “Kings of Beauty,” had demands that included hair piled high and a 19-inch waist. Traveling to the Miss Texas-Miss America pageant later that year, eighteen-year-old Jane complained to her mother that she was starving. Her mother said, “Chew some gum.” One night, hunger won out and Little and some hungry fellow contestants snuck out of their room and into a banquet hall where they devoured large portions of a massive cake in the shape of Texas.
That’s just a sample from Jane Little Botkin’s excellent memoir, “The Pink Dress.”
There’s tragedy and triumph, humor and heartbreak. Life on the runway included choices, preparations, marketing. There were lessons learned, sometimes easily, sometimes not. “The Pink Dress” is also about a protective mother, a rebellious daughter, and the giving and withholding of love. Through it all, Botkin tells her story with verve and honesty. Highly recommended!
.
She was the first Guyrex beauty pageant girl and was crowned Miss El Paso in 1971. Guyrex, Richard Guy and Rex Holt, known as the “Kings of Beauty,” had demands that included hair piled high and a 19-inch waist. Traveling to the Miss Texas-Miss America pageant later that year, eighteen-year-old Jane complained to her mother that she was starving. Her mother said, “Chew some gum.” One night, hunger won out and Little and some hungry fellow contestants snuck out of their room and into a banquet hall where they devoured large portions of a massive cake in the shape of Texas.
That’s just a sample from Jane Little Botkin’s excellent memoir, “The Pink Dress.”
There’s tragedy and triumph, humor and heartbreak. Life on the runway included choices, preparations, marketing. There were lessons learned, sometimes easily, sometimes not. “The Pink Dress” is also about a protective mother, a rebellious daughter, and the giving and withholding of love. Through it all, Botkin tells her story with verve and honesty. Highly recommended!
April 14, 2024
Jane Little Botkin's beautifully written memoir echoes her life in the West Texas "town" of El Paso, balancing imperfect parental expectations to be that perfect daughter. A significant turning point manifests when she meets Guyrex, the dynamic beauty queen wizards who would later change the direction of Jane's life, raising the bar of El Paso beauty pageant contention. With El Paso as the backdrop during the 1970's shifting culture, Jane has written with deep insight the glitz, glamour, and world of attention inside the Texas beauty pageant arena. The Pink Dress captures Jane's quest of appeasing her parents, eventually becoming a Guyrex Girl beauty queen. With her witty humor and charm, detailed accounts of spirited struggles to stay true to her values and persona, challenges, successes, and scandal in Texas pageant competition, Jane's voice will captivate the reader throughout.
Jane Little Botkin has become a writer of accomplishment, and The Pink Dress tells the tale of how it all began. Looking good, Janie.
Preorder now, available in September 2024.
Jane Little Botkin has become a writer of accomplishment, and The Pink Dress tells the tale of how it all began. Looking good, Janie.
Preorder now, available in September 2024.
August 25, 2024
I was enthralled with this book and couldn't wait to read more each "night" as this is my wind down and read time. I had a very hard time putting this down. I have never been one to be super interested in the world of pageantry, but like any little girl I was nearly glued to the television in the 70's - 80's when the Miss USA pageant was aired once each year. Never did I dream I'd get a first hand look at what Really happens behind the scenes by an actual contestant. Jane Little went through so much and never gave up even though it would have been so much easier to do so. These poor women (girls really) were paraded around like horses (to which Jane points out this very parallel while at the horse track). Wow, what a life they had to endure... sometimes because they chose to and other times because this was chosen for them. Well done Jane Little Botkin. Thanks for sharing your private collection of photos to enhance this memoir.
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September 17, 2024
I remember receiving flyers in the mail for beauty pageants growing up and I’d ask my mom about them, but she never said yes. For reference, I was 10 when JonBenet Ramsey was found murdered in her home and that shut the door on any form of pageantry I tried to angle for.
Jane Little Botkin’s experience as a Guyrex Girl is so fascinating and yet so sad at the same time. From controlling parents to a system that controlled her down to the last pea on her plate, there was a lot to unpack reading this memoir. Having not been from Texas, I really loved how descriptive Botkin was in bringing El Paso to life. It really helped set the backdrop to her random entry into the world of Pageantry. This is raw and gritty, with no punches pulled and I appreciated how open and honest Botkin was about everything from growing up to adulthood. It’s a fascinating read that I highly recommend.
Thank you to the publisher for the gifted copy.
Jane Little Botkin’s experience as a Guyrex Girl is so fascinating and yet so sad at the same time. From controlling parents to a system that controlled her down to the last pea on her plate, there was a lot to unpack reading this memoir. Having not been from Texas, I really loved how descriptive Botkin was in bringing El Paso to life. It really helped set the backdrop to her random entry into the world of Pageantry. This is raw and gritty, with no punches pulled and I appreciated how open and honest Botkin was about everything from growing up to adulthood. It’s a fascinating read that I highly recommend.
Thank you to the publisher for the gifted copy.
October 5, 2024
I think the author nails it when, at the beginning of the book, she talks about how families used to sit around and watch pageants together. I remember watching with my family and begging to stay up late to see who would win. So, those of us old enough will relate to the excitement we'd have each year.
It's a revelation to get a look behind the scenes at these earlier pageants and the juxtaposition of current events (Viet Nam) with the big hair of Texas pageants. The mixed feelings of the author come through--not obviously--but they are there. Mostly it is a story of a young woman from a troubled home who lacks the gumption to really rebel. All of this is colored by the fact that she is much older now and these are her memories of the time.
Not exactly what I expected, but an honest accounting of one would-be beauty queen's experiences.
Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this memoir. I enjoyed it.
It's a revelation to get a look behind the scenes at these earlier pageants and the juxtaposition of current events (Viet Nam) with the big hair of Texas pageants. The mixed feelings of the author come through--not obviously--but they are there. Mostly it is a story of a young woman from a troubled home who lacks the gumption to really rebel. All of this is colored by the fact that she is much older now and these are her memories of the time.
Not exactly what I expected, but an honest accounting of one would-be beauty queen's experiences.
Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this memoir. I enjoyed it.
October 20, 2024
I venture that if you have ever been involved with beauty pageants or are from Texas you will appreciate this book more than I did. I am a New Yorker and only watched The Miss America Pageant until I was probably 10. So you are probably wondering why did I request this book to read - well the synopsis of the book stated "The Pink Dress awakens nostalgia for the 1960s and 1970s, the era’s conflicts and growth pains." As I grew up in the 70's, this is what intrigued me and I ended up disappointed. This book primarily focuses on the author's recollection of her time as a beauty queen contestant. There is much information on the history of El Paso and behind the scenes for those who like that sort of stuff on pageants - it just wasn't for me. Does include the author's personal collection of pictures which I always enjoy. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for an advance copy in exchange for my honest opinion.
September 16, 2024
What a fascinating read. While I eventually ended up in New Orleans and then Texas for college and on the periphery of the debutante and beauty pageant scene, my world was about as far removed from this as you can imagine and I was always called into standards when I eventually made it into a sorority. But like so many other little girls, I remember staying up late at night watching the Miss America pageants late into the night in absolute awe. Beyond just a glimpse into the world of beauty pageants, Jane Little Botkin writes a fascinating look back into life in the 1960’s into the 1970’s, such a pivotal time in American culture and society, and especially provides such an interesting lens to view in multicultural El Paso. Raw, riveting, real, and just beautifully told, The Pink Dress is a beautiful and gripping memoir!
September 12, 2024
Janey’s “Pink Dress” fairy tale contains the element of three: a controlling mother, the family’s faltering financial situation, and marital stress due to affairs and addiction. The West Texas setting of El Paso lends a dry, dusty haze through which to view magical transformations and seedy manipulations involved in beauty pageants in the 1960s and 1970s. Janey reveals herself as an exhausted, starving competitor as a final encounter with El Paso, the roller coaster ride of a Guyrex Girl, and a mature understanding of her mother comes into clear view. This is an eye-opening memoir where pageant skepticisms and misgivings are confirmed in eyebrow raising revelations through the recollections of “a reluctant beauty queen,” Janey Little Botkin.
January 11, 2025
I've never considered myself particularly pretty. I was bullied for my looks as a youth. Growing up with just the big three TV channels (and PBS), I would watch the televised beauty pageants. It was nothing I even felt I could begin to aspire to.
As an adult, my self image and I stand in a tremulous détente, like the Korean DMZ. I'm not sure what I expected to find picking up The Pink Dress: A Memoir of a Reluctant Beauty Queen: proof that beauty queens are as artificial as yellow 5, proof that the grass is not greener on the other side, proof that being professionally beautiful is a grueling occupation? I admit, I didn't care so much about Jane Little Botkin's personal story. I wanted her to make me feel better about myself.
I quickly began caring about Jane Little Botkin, quite a bit, in fact. I forgot all about myself. Her experience did end up soothing my fragile inner child. I just hate everything wasn't all wine and roses for Jane Little Botkin. She came across as an example of a well-rounded woman, the exact kind of person I thought Miss America was supposed to be.
I didn't know a single thing about Guyrex before picking up The Pink Dress: A Memoir of a Reluctant Beauty Queen. The boys' story seems worthy of its own full-length treatment.
I don't quite know how to really explain how I feel, having finished The Pink Dress: A Memoir of a Reluctant Beauty Queen. I liked reading it and think others should read it, too. I'm glad that Jane Little Botkin appears to have made a beautiful life for herself with a lovely family. The final bit with her granddaughter was precious! I received this book for free through Goodreads Giveaways. It is autographed. I also had access to a digital galley thanks to the Winter/Spring 2025 PW Grab a Galley promotion.
As an adult, my self image and I stand in a tremulous détente, like the Korean DMZ. I'm not sure what I expected to find picking up The Pink Dress: A Memoir of a Reluctant Beauty Queen: proof that beauty queens are as artificial as yellow 5, proof that the grass is not greener on the other side, proof that being professionally beautiful is a grueling occupation? I admit, I didn't care so much about Jane Little Botkin's personal story. I wanted her to make me feel better about myself.
I quickly began caring about Jane Little Botkin, quite a bit, in fact. I forgot all about myself. Her experience did end up soothing my fragile inner child. I just hate everything wasn't all wine and roses for Jane Little Botkin. She came across as an example of a well-rounded woman, the exact kind of person I thought Miss America was supposed to be.
I didn't know a single thing about Guyrex before picking up The Pink Dress: A Memoir of a Reluctant Beauty Queen. The boys' story seems worthy of its own full-length treatment.
I don't quite know how to really explain how I feel, having finished The Pink Dress: A Memoir of a Reluctant Beauty Queen. I liked reading it and think others should read it, too. I'm glad that Jane Little Botkin appears to have made a beautiful life for herself with a lovely family. The final bit with her granddaughter was precious! I received this book for free through Goodreads Giveaways. It is autographed. I also had access to a digital galley thanks to the Winter/Spring 2025 PW Grab a Galley promotion.
April 22, 2025
"The Pink Dress" gives us a behind-the-scenes look into the world of beauty pageants, also revealing the politics that often taints them, as it does with so many other things in today's society.
It's also clear this was a deeply personal book for the author.
Botkin reveals the personal struggles and disappointments she faced with her own mother, ultimately realizing that the woman's shortcomings weren't an absence of love, but rather a stoic, generational inability to express those thoughts and feelings to her child.
It takes a special person to come to terms with this realization, translating these insights to the printed page. Most difficult of all is to become the remarkable person her mother secretly envisioned for her daughter.
It's also clear this was a deeply personal book for the author.
Botkin reveals the personal struggles and disappointments she faced with her own mother, ultimately realizing that the woman's shortcomings weren't an absence of love, but rather a stoic, generational inability to express those thoughts and feelings to her child.
It takes a special person to come to terms with this realization, translating these insights to the printed page. Most difficult of all is to become the remarkable person her mother secretly envisioned for her daughter.
August 24, 2024
There was something magical about Jane Little Botkin's The Pink Dress. The vivid descriptions of El Paso and its people took me back to my coming of age in that West Texas town. I remember the characters and the turning tide that defined the era. Moreover, I rooted for Jane during every dramatic moment in her life. I wanted her to win! I willed myself to put the book on my bedside table that first night. It's a book you'll want to savor. I rushed back the next night to finish the feast of pageantry, celebrity and love. Expect emotion - family trauma, hilarity, and calamity - it is all just a little bit bigger than a normal life. But...that's Texas!
October 12, 2024
This was just ok. It wasn’t really what I was expecting.
There’s a lot of history in here, some of which is not really necessary. I didn’t want or need a history of El Paso. With all talk about all the lawlessness and rebellion in that history, it seemed out of place compared to how tame the author seemed. There’s politics and war in here as well, but that seemed much more appropriate.
The pageant stuff was interesting and a lot of fun, I could have read an entire book on that. Oh, wait that’s what I was trying to do.
I’d recommend it to anyone who is interested in the pageant world.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC, all opinions are my own.
There’s a lot of history in here, some of which is not really necessary. I didn’t want or need a history of El Paso. With all talk about all the lawlessness and rebellion in that history, it seemed out of place compared to how tame the author seemed. There’s politics and war in here as well, but that seemed much more appropriate.
The pageant stuff was interesting and a lot of fun, I could have read an entire book on that. Oh, wait that’s what I was trying to do.
I’d recommend it to anyone who is interested in the pageant world.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC, all opinions are my own.
April 14, 2024
AMAZING! This is not your typical 'beauty queen' book. This is a book of trying to escape two worlds with nowhere to go. A book about wanting a life, but that life is not the fairy tale one might think it is.
A life where a PINK DRESS has a story all its own- a Texas girl becomes a showpiece for two men who make history in the pageant world. Read how Jane Little Botkin became the first Guyrex Girl and entered a world she couldn't have imagined-while navigating a relationship she couldn't fix.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED READING!!
Preorder now for September reading!
A life where a PINK DRESS has a story all its own- a Texas girl becomes a showpiece for two men who make history in the pageant world. Read how Jane Little Botkin became the first Guyrex Girl and entered a world she couldn't have imagined-while navigating a relationship she couldn't fix.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED READING!!
Preorder now for September reading!
April 16, 2024
Jane Little Botkin has written an amazing story of her being the first GuyRex girl in the 1970’s. It’s more than just a pink dress, being a beauty contestant, but being the first GuyRex girl during that tumultuous time. She has brought us all into the beauty pageant world with trying to be the best daughter as well as the best Miss El Paso. She intertwined the history of El Paso and Juarez with her accounts. This is a must read and once you start to read this amazing book, you will find it hard to put down.
April 18, 2024
I was provided with an Advanced Reader's copy of the PINK DRESS: A Memoir of a Reluctant Beauty Queen and was immediately captivated.
The prose is sublime, but it is the multilayered story set in a very descriptive El Paso combined with the Texas beauty pageant world that sets this book apart. A difficult mother-daughter relationship and a father desperately proud of his daughter add an unexpected complexity to what should have been a fairy-tale existence (at least in my mind). This book captures the backdrop of the 1970s so wonderfully that it is truly captivating. A great read!
The prose is sublime, but it is the multilayered story set in a very descriptive El Paso combined with the Texas beauty pageant world that sets this book apart. A difficult mother-daughter relationship and a father desperately proud of his daughter add an unexpected complexity to what should have been a fairy-tale existence (at least in my mind). This book captures the backdrop of the 1970s so wonderfully that it is truly captivating. A great read!
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