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Here She Is: The Complicated Reign of the Beauty Pageant in America
A fresh exploration of American feminist history told through the lens of the beauty pageant world.Many predicted that pageants would disappear by the 21st century. Yet they are thriving. America’s most enduring contest, Miss America, celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2020. Why do they persist? In Here She Is, Hilary Levey Friedman reveals the surprising ways pageants have been an empowering feminist tradition. She traces the role of pageants in many of the feminist movement’s signature achievements, including bringing women into the public sphere, helping them become leaders in business and politics, providing increased educational opportunities, and giving them a voice in the age of #MeToo.Using her unique perspective as a NOW state president, daughter to Miss America 1970, sometimes pageant judge, and scholar, Friedman explores how pageants became so deeply embedded in American life from their origins as a P.T. Barnum spectacle at the birth of the suffrage movement, through Miss Universe’s bathing beauties to the talent- and achievement-based competitions of today. She looks at how pageantry has morphed into culture everywhere from The Bachelor and RuPaul’s Drag Race to cheer and specialized contests like those for children, Indigenous women, and contestants with disabilities. Friedman also acknowledges the damaging and unrealistic expectations pageants place on women in society and discusses the controversies, including Miss America’s ableist and racist history, Trump’s ownership of the Miss Universe Organization, and the death of child pageant-winner JonBenét Ramsey.Presenting a more complex narrative than what’s been previously portrayed, Here She Is shows that as American women continue to evolve, so too will beauty pageants.
287 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 25, 2020
18 people are currently reading
1433 people want to read
About the author
Hilary Levey Friedman
3 books32 followersHilary Levey Friedman, PhD, is the author of Here She Is: The Complicated Reign of the Beauty Pageant in America and Playing to Win: Raising Children in a Competitive Culture. She is part of the Department of Education at Brown University, where she teaches courses on topics like afterschool activities, sports, and qualitative methods. She is also a Fellow at the Taubman Center for American Politics and Society.
Prof. Levey Friedman is currently President of the Rhode Island chapter of the National Organization for Women (RI NOW). She is also a member of the Public Policy Committee of the United Way of Rhode Island and the Platform and Issues Committee of the Rhode Island Democratic Party. Additionally she volunteers as an active Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA). She is a civic leader as well, having served as Chair of the East Greenwich Democratic Town Committee, as an Affordable Housing Commissioner in the town of East Greenwich, RI, and as a Board of Trustee at Temple Torat Yisrael.
Prof. Levey Friedman grew up in the suburbs of Detroit where she graduated from Marian High School. As an undergraduate at Harvard she discovered sociology, graduating magna cum laude with highest honors in 2002 and writing her honors thesis on child beauty pageants. She then earned an MPhil from the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences as a Gates Cambridge Scholar at the University of Cambridge, where her dissertation was about fashion and national identity. Following her time in England Prof. Levey Friedman matriculated at Princeton University, from which she earned a PhD in Sociology in 2009 as both a Spencer Dissertation Fellow and as a Harold W. Dodds fellow. During graduate school her research focused on competitive after-school activities (chess, dance, Kumon enrichment classes, and soccer). Prof. Levey Friedman completed a post-doctoral fellowship at Harvard University quantitatively studying youth sports injuries, supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
The mother of a kindergartner and a second grader, she spends whatever spare time she has reading (anything and everything!) and watching a variety of (reality) television shows and documentaries.
Prof. Levey Friedman is currently President of the Rhode Island chapter of the National Organization for Women (RI NOW). She is also a member of the Public Policy Committee of the United Way of Rhode Island and the Platform and Issues Committee of the Rhode Island Democratic Party. Additionally she volunteers as an active Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA). She is a civic leader as well, having served as Chair of the East Greenwich Democratic Town Committee, as an Affordable Housing Commissioner in the town of East Greenwich, RI, and as a Board of Trustee at Temple Torat Yisrael.
Prof. Levey Friedman grew up in the suburbs of Detroit where she graduated from Marian High School. As an undergraduate at Harvard she discovered sociology, graduating magna cum laude with highest honors in 2002 and writing her honors thesis on child beauty pageants. She then earned an MPhil from the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences as a Gates Cambridge Scholar at the University of Cambridge, where her dissertation was about fashion and national identity. Following her time in England Prof. Levey Friedman matriculated at Princeton University, from which she earned a PhD in Sociology in 2009 as both a Spencer Dissertation Fellow and as a Harold W. Dodds fellow. During graduate school her research focused on competitive after-school activities (chess, dance, Kumon enrichment classes, and soccer). Prof. Levey Friedman completed a post-doctoral fellowship at Harvard University quantitatively studying youth sports injuries, supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
The mother of a kindergartner and a second grader, she spends whatever spare time she has reading (anything and everything!) and watching a variety of (reality) television shows and documentaries.
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September 13, 2020
What do you think of when you hear the words "beauty pageant"? Do you think programs like Miss America, Miss USA, Miss Universe are relics of an earlier time and out of step with our current world, or do you think they're empowering and relevant to the women who participate? (Spoiler alert: While at times they may be a little of the former, there's still a lot of the latter to be found.)
In her new book, Here She Is: The Complicated Reign of the Beauty Pageant in America , Hilary Levey Friedman traces the origins of the beauty pageant, from the days of P.T. Barnum and his American Gallery of Female Beauty in the 1850s and early baby shows and bathing beauty revues, to the programs pageant fans know and love—Miss America, Miss USA, Miss Universe, and Distinguished Young Women (formerly America's Junior Miss). She looks at pageants that are racially or culturally based, as well as those focused on those with different abilities, different body types, even pageants for married women and senior citizens. It's a fascinating look at the mindset and the condition of the world when these pageants were created, and juxtaposing their initial purpose with where many stand today.
Friedman didn't just pick this topic at random. Her mother was Miss America 1970, she taught a course at Brown University called "Beauty Pageants in American Society," she served as a mentor to Miss America 2018, and she's judged some pageants here and there. This book is impeccably and thoroughly researched—she literally pored through national and state program books spanning a number of years for several different pageant systems, so she can understand the "typical" contestant in these pageants and see how far the reality strays from the public perception.
She spends a great deal of time looking at Miss America and the changes that program has made through the years, including those made in the wake of the #MeToo movement over the last several years, changes that have both been celebrated and criticized by long-time fans and former contestants. But she also looks at the genesis of the contestants and how they have changed, in terms of educational and career goals as well as demographics. This isn't a view through rose-colored glasses; she looks at the positives and negatives of the pageant and its effects on contestants.
There's also been no shortage of scandal in the pageant world, and she touches on those as well, from Donald Trump's former ownership of the Miss Universe Organization and the criticism of child and "glitz" pageants, to the recent controversies around Miss America. All the while, she examines the evolving nature of pageants and their relationship with Third Wave Feminism, and what they may need to do to remain relevant.
I've been a fan of the Miss America Pageant since I first watched in 1982 and as many of you know, I was a volunteer in the Miss America Organization for just short of 15 years. I'm also a fan of Miss USA, Miss Universe, and Miss Teen USA, and certainly understand the differences and similarities between the two systems. Because of that, I loved this book. While I knew some of the history and scandal, there were things that surprised me and things I learned for the first time. But more than that, I've never really stopped to think of the pageants and their relationship to feminism (I'm such a guy sometimes), so that was an eye-opening experience.
Pageant fans should love this, but I think those who might have seen a pageant once or twice or just like to read about different aspects of American culture will enjoy this as well. As Miss America celebrates its 100th anniversary next year, Here She Is is a great look at that American tradition.
The author provided me a complimentary advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making it available!
Here She Is publishes August 25.
Check out my list of the best books I read in 2019 at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-best-books-i-read-in-2019.html.
Check out my list of the best books of the decade at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2020/01/my-favorite-books-of-decade.html.
See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.
Follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/the.bookishworld.of.yrralh/.
In her new book, Here She Is: The Complicated Reign of the Beauty Pageant in America , Hilary Levey Friedman traces the origins of the beauty pageant, from the days of P.T. Barnum and his American Gallery of Female Beauty in the 1850s and early baby shows and bathing beauty revues, to the programs pageant fans know and love—Miss America, Miss USA, Miss Universe, and Distinguished Young Women (formerly America's Junior Miss). She looks at pageants that are racially or culturally based, as well as those focused on those with different abilities, different body types, even pageants for married women and senior citizens. It's a fascinating look at the mindset and the condition of the world when these pageants were created, and juxtaposing their initial purpose with where many stand today.
Friedman didn't just pick this topic at random. Her mother was Miss America 1970, she taught a course at Brown University called "Beauty Pageants in American Society," she served as a mentor to Miss America 2018, and she's judged some pageants here and there. This book is impeccably and thoroughly researched—she literally pored through national and state program books spanning a number of years for several different pageant systems, so she can understand the "typical" contestant in these pageants and see how far the reality strays from the public perception.
She spends a great deal of time looking at Miss America and the changes that program has made through the years, including those made in the wake of the #MeToo movement over the last several years, changes that have both been celebrated and criticized by long-time fans and former contestants. But she also looks at the genesis of the contestants and how they have changed, in terms of educational and career goals as well as demographics. This isn't a view through rose-colored glasses; she looks at the positives and negatives of the pageant and its effects on contestants.
There's also been no shortage of scandal in the pageant world, and she touches on those as well, from Donald Trump's former ownership of the Miss Universe Organization and the criticism of child and "glitz" pageants, to the recent controversies around Miss America. All the while, she examines the evolving nature of pageants and their relationship with Third Wave Feminism, and what they may need to do to remain relevant.
I've been a fan of the Miss America Pageant since I first watched in 1982 and as many of you know, I was a volunteer in the Miss America Organization for just short of 15 years. I'm also a fan of Miss USA, Miss Universe, and Miss Teen USA, and certainly understand the differences and similarities between the two systems. Because of that, I loved this book. While I knew some of the history and scandal, there were things that surprised me and things I learned for the first time. But more than that, I've never really stopped to think of the pageants and their relationship to feminism (I'm such a guy sometimes), so that was an eye-opening experience.
Pageant fans should love this, but I think those who might have seen a pageant once or twice or just like to read about different aspects of American culture will enjoy this as well. As Miss America celebrates its 100th anniversary next year, Here She Is is a great look at that American tradition.
The author provided me a complimentary advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making it available!
Here She Is publishes August 25.
Check out my list of the best books I read in 2019 at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-best-books-i-read-in-2019.html.
Check out my list of the best books of the decade at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2020/01/my-favorite-books-of-decade.html.
See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.
Follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/the.bookishworld.of.yrralh/.
July 30, 2020
A trained sociologist (and daughter of the 1970 Miss America pageant winner) is the right person to do an analysis of beauty pageants. But I wish this sociologist could write. Sentence after sentence fails to convey a cogent thought. You pause, baffled and annoyed, asking yourself "what is she trying to say?"
Here’s one example, out of hundreds: “It was then that nascent feminism became fashionable in two senses, popularity and sartorial choices” (page 27).
Even when you can guess at her thought, your grasp is hazy and provisional because of misplaced modifiers, careless word choices and reliance on cliches. For example: “Suffragists usurped [the practice of wearing sashes] to fight their own war, conveying their own distinct message” (page 32). I sorta get what she’s saying, but “usurped” is the wrong word — “adapted” would be more accurate — and the rest of the sentence tells us nothing we don’t already know while also misusing the word “war”.
Occasionally, her clumsy writing results in misstatement, as when she claims that Atlantic City created Monopoly (page 34).
Struggling through this execrable prose wore out my interest in the story and patience with the author.
The more I read, the more I distrusted the author. For example: no brassieres were burned at the Miss America demonstration organized by the New York Radical Women in 1968. Friedman’s description makes that clear and explains that the bra burning trope came from a story in the New York Post (page 74).
So she knows that no bras were burned, yet just 15 pages later (page 89) she refers to the “one hundred bra burners.”
I don’t know if this is duplicity or just — well — stupidity. But it’s where I began skimming.
Finally, I disagree with the author’s contention that the Miss America winners were, like radical feminists, working for “women’s liberation,” though, unlike the radicals, from “within the system.” How exactly does strutting around in a swimsuit advance women’s rights? She NEVER answers this question, expecting us to take her assertion as truth.
It is possible that the activities Miss America undertakes during her reign advance women’s rights. But who decides what Miss America does and what DOES she do? These answers could help make Friedman’s case and, being the daughter of Miss America 1970, she could have easily researched the topic. But she offers nothing.
The Bender JCC book festival asked me to assess whether this book should be included in the festival. This meant that I felt I had to read the entire book. I can’t tell you how glad I was to arrive at the final page. And, as if you don’t already know: I recommended against including it.
Here’s one example, out of hundreds: “It was then that nascent feminism became fashionable in two senses, popularity and sartorial choices” (page 27).
Even when you can guess at her thought, your grasp is hazy and provisional because of misplaced modifiers, careless word choices and reliance on cliches. For example: “Suffragists usurped [the practice of wearing sashes] to fight their own war, conveying their own distinct message” (page 32). I sorta get what she’s saying, but “usurped” is the wrong word — “adapted” would be more accurate — and the rest of the sentence tells us nothing we don’t already know while also misusing the word “war”.
Occasionally, her clumsy writing results in misstatement, as when she claims that Atlantic City created Monopoly (page 34).
Struggling through this execrable prose wore out my interest in the story and patience with the author.
The more I read, the more I distrusted the author. For example: no brassieres were burned at the Miss America demonstration organized by the New York Radical Women in 1968. Friedman’s description makes that clear and explains that the bra burning trope came from a story in the New York Post (page 74).
So she knows that no bras were burned, yet just 15 pages later (page 89) she refers to the “one hundred bra burners.”
I don’t know if this is duplicity or just — well — stupidity. But it’s where I began skimming.
Finally, I disagree with the author’s contention that the Miss America winners were, like radical feminists, working for “women’s liberation,” though, unlike the radicals, from “within the system.” How exactly does strutting around in a swimsuit advance women’s rights? She NEVER answers this question, expecting us to take her assertion as truth.
It is possible that the activities Miss America undertakes during her reign advance women’s rights. But who decides what Miss America does and what DOES she do? These answers could help make Friedman’s case and, being the daughter of Miss America 1970, she could have easily researched the topic. But she offers nothing.
The Bender JCC book festival asked me to assess whether this book should be included in the festival. This meant that I felt I had to read the entire book. I can’t tell you how glad I was to arrive at the final page. And, as if you don’t already know: I recommended against including it.
December 11, 2020
If you grew up watching the Miss America pageant, or even the Miss USA pageant, then this book might be of interest to you. The book is chock full of history about how the pageants came to be, their predecessors, and what has been achieved through the decades to improve the pageant and the women that participated. The pageant world is not without scandal or the whims of what men wanted or expected from such shows. But, as with most everything else, the pageants have improved and are not simply a beauty contest. They focus on real-world issues and the women have had to move along with the times to improve themselves and the society around them.
I vaguely recall the small town that I attended for high school having a pageant. I don't know if the winner actually went on to compete in Miss Texas or not and since I know a past winner, I should ask her if she competed. I remember the fancy gowns and the talent portion from my attendance at the event and even though I was the same age as these women, I had no desire to be a part of this world. That didn't stop me from enjoying watching it on television growing up, trying to guess who might be chosen, and being amazed at the talents these women possessed.
The author did a wonderful job of researching the book. There are many notations for where the information was gathered and you could spend hours just looking up the articles and other information. There are a few spots with incorrect information, some I noticed and others I learned from other reviews, but overall I thought the history was intriguing and never would have guessed that P.T Barnum had beauty contests as part of his show.
The book is not fast-paced due to the amount of information presented within its covers. But the look into feminism and how it got its start, women seeking something better, and even the #MeToo movement references are mind-boggling. I enjoyed all of the stories and how this all played into our history.
Overall we give this 3 1/2 paws and if you were ever in a pageant or just curious how it has progressed to what we have today, then this book will definitely fill in the gaps.
I vaguely recall the small town that I attended for high school having a pageant. I don't know if the winner actually went on to compete in Miss Texas or not and since I know a past winner, I should ask her if she competed. I remember the fancy gowns and the talent portion from my attendance at the event and even though I was the same age as these women, I had no desire to be a part of this world. That didn't stop me from enjoying watching it on television growing up, trying to guess who might be chosen, and being amazed at the talents these women possessed.
The author did a wonderful job of researching the book. There are many notations for where the information was gathered and you could spend hours just looking up the articles and other information. There are a few spots with incorrect information, some I noticed and others I learned from other reviews, but overall I thought the history was intriguing and never would have guessed that P.T Barnum had beauty contests as part of his show.
The book is not fast-paced due to the amount of information presented within its covers. But the look into feminism and how it got its start, women seeking something better, and even the #MeToo movement references are mind-boggling. I enjoyed all of the stories and how this all played into our history.
Overall we give this 3 1/2 paws and if you were ever in a pageant or just curious how it has progressed to what we have today, then this book will definitely fill in the gaps.
May 24, 2020
Brilliant. I've had a love/hate relationship with Miss America since I was tiny, stuffing my swimsuit and strutting across the shag carpet the night women's libbers disrupted the TV broadcast in 1968. I still watch, and I'm still ashamed. Only now, after reading Friedman's enthusiastic analysis, I understand why.
Friedman, the President of Nat'l Organization of Women in Rhode Island, is the daughter of Miss America, 1970. And while collecting countless Ivy League and civic accolades that define her braininess, Dr. Friedman was professor to Miss America, 2018. Clearly this is no longer a beauty versus brains debate; now women are challenged to be both. But wait...
After an entertaining Foreward, Friedman breaks the history of pageants into three defining eras of female liberation, beginning with the suffragette fight to vote. Who knew that the suffragette movement was tightly linked to beauty pageants from the very beginning? In fact, I will never look at a sash the same way...
Here She Is works as a long overdue history of women in America. The path of the contest - and its participants - reflects how beauty is tied to every relevant signpost of American culture, from class, to race, education, body image, identity, and politics. There are so many delicious tidbits, that I can't decide which to mention. On second thought, I won't ruin your fun.
Here She Is will be released in August, but you can order a copy now. I recommend it. This book will be a classic.
Friedman, the President of Nat'l Organization of Women in Rhode Island, is the daughter of Miss America, 1970. And while collecting countless Ivy League and civic accolades that define her braininess, Dr. Friedman was professor to Miss America, 2018. Clearly this is no longer a beauty versus brains debate; now women are challenged to be both. But wait...
After an entertaining Foreward, Friedman breaks the history of pageants into three defining eras of female liberation, beginning with the suffragette fight to vote. Who knew that the suffragette movement was tightly linked to beauty pageants from the very beginning? In fact, I will never look at a sash the same way...
Here She Is works as a long overdue history of women in America. The path of the contest - and its participants - reflects how beauty is tied to every relevant signpost of American culture, from class, to race, education, body image, identity, and politics. There are so many delicious tidbits, that I can't decide which to mention. On second thought, I won't ruin your fun.
Here She Is will be released in August, but you can order a copy now. I recommend it. This book will be a classic.
December 24, 2020
At first glance, Here She Is doesn’t sound like something I would read or request from NetGalley, given that it’s about the history of the beauty pagent, something that I’ve not been involved in nor follow. But, I do like reading about histories of obscure subjects, I was intrigued by the idea of using a feministic lens while reviewing the history, and I remember enjoying Miss Congeniality. So here we are.
The book does what it promises to do – look at the history of beauty pageants and how they intersect with feminism. In short, Friedman argues that the first pageants (which were for children rather than women) helped women to appear in the public sphere in a respectable way, coinciding with the right to vote. As time goes by, pageants continue to play a role in shaping the role of women in the public eye (and through the scholarship and social platform components, to promote certain ideas). At the same time, pageants have a complicated relationship with feminism, which I think can be summed up in the question: are they empowering or are they objectifying?
Since I didn’t know much about the topic, I learnt quite a bit and revised my view on the use of pageants, mostly in the time where women had very limited spaces to appear and how this might be used for them to gain scholarships or launch a platform. That said, the very academic tone of the book means that it’s not the most accessible work.
From what I can tell, the author has done a lot of research in looking through old pageant books to establish trends and interviewing people who are involved in the pageant world; I particularly enjoyed the section where she interviews women who were involved in pageants as children and how they had very different experiences and attitudes towards child pageants. However, I did see this review by Nicole Kelly (who was mentioned briefly in the book) with regards to inaccuracies in the chapter on intersectionality and pageants, so while I trust the general narrative of the book, I’m not as sure about the details.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. The subject matter was new to me and I liked the way that it was explored (even though I could do with a slightly more accessible text). As someone who’s exposure to the Beauty Pageant world happens only through a few movies, I learnt quite a bit about its history and relationship to feminism, something that I had not considered before.
This review was first posted at Eustea Reads
The book does what it promises to do – look at the history of beauty pageants and how they intersect with feminism. In short, Friedman argues that the first pageants (which were for children rather than women) helped women to appear in the public sphere in a respectable way, coinciding with the right to vote. As time goes by, pageants continue to play a role in shaping the role of women in the public eye (and through the scholarship and social platform components, to promote certain ideas). At the same time, pageants have a complicated relationship with feminism, which I think can be summed up in the question: are they empowering or are they objectifying?
Since I didn’t know much about the topic, I learnt quite a bit and revised my view on the use of pageants, mostly in the time where women had very limited spaces to appear and how this might be used for them to gain scholarships or launch a platform. That said, the very academic tone of the book means that it’s not the most accessible work.
From what I can tell, the author has done a lot of research in looking through old pageant books to establish trends and interviewing people who are involved in the pageant world; I particularly enjoyed the section where she interviews women who were involved in pageants as children and how they had very different experiences and attitudes towards child pageants. However, I did see this review by Nicole Kelly (who was mentioned briefly in the book) with regards to inaccuracies in the chapter on intersectionality and pageants, so while I trust the general narrative of the book, I’m not as sure about the details.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. The subject matter was new to me and I liked the way that it was explored (even though I could do with a slightly more accessible text). As someone who’s exposure to the Beauty Pageant world happens only through a few movies, I learnt quite a bit about its history and relationship to feminism, something that I had not considered before.
This review was first posted at Eustea Reads
June 16, 2021
I have always been interested in pageants. I remember sitting on the couch and watching them each year, trying to guess who would win and hoping Miss Iowa would make it into the finals. A friend of mine was Miss Teen Iowa and I was a participant in the Miss Teen of Iowa pageant. It was a big deal and even had my dress made, reminiscent of Cinderella’s dress, but in peach. Oh, the memories!
Hilary Levey Friedman is the daughter of Miss America 1970 and has done extensive research on the history of pageants and how the pageant culture has continued to influence many contests and shows today including “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette”. Friedman covers the beginnings of pageants and how they were used to entice businessmen to stay in Atlantic City. She also shares the first beautiful baby contests and how they led to the “Toddlers and Tiaras” types of pageants that were part of the Jon-Benét Ramsey childhood. The controversy behind Miss America versus Miss USA and how they became two separate pageants as well as their eventual move to live TV to garner more excitement was an interesting part of the story as well.
I was surprised by the stereotypes that took place in the pageant world. Until 1994, contestants’ height and weight were displayed in the programs as well as just seven years prior, their waist, hip, and bust measurements. This was about the time that the pageants took on more of a talent competition and contestants had a platform, an issue close to their heart like juvenile diabetes or veteran’s affairs.
There were many controversies tied to the Miss America or Miss USA pageants including Vanessa Williams giving up her crown and Mike Tyson being accused of raping a contestant of the Miss Black America pageant. Of course, child pageants were under scrutiny after the murder of Jon-Benét Ramsey and then, these pageants exploded onto the TV screen and gained, it seemed even more popularity. Friedman states:
“Some families went into debt and even bankruptcy because of their child beauty pageant addiction. One pageant mom told me, ‘There are parents down here that are losing their trailers over pageants.’ That the home was a trailer further highlighted the precarious financial position of the family.”
Hilary Levey Friedman
Even though the pageant I was a part of in 1990 was very small, I remember noticing right away when I arrived that I was likely out of my league. This was my first and only pageant and there were girls there that had done several, touring the pageant circuit to gain college scholarships. I learned a lot and appreciated the experience and have fond memories of the friendships I made. I remember my nervousness at the interviews and walking across the stage. My personal experience and reading this book have given me a new perspective on the hard work candidates take on to compete. I look forward to watching the next pageant aired on TV with new insights and knowledge. However, many have been canceled or postponed due to the pandemic, so it’s unsure when they will resume as states will also have to hold their individual pageants first. I did see on the news that the Miss Iowa pageant was held last weekend.
Photos of pageants past are included and show a historical evolution of gowns and crowns. Those readers who like historical narratives, beauty pageants, and feminist history will find this book interesting.
Hilary Levey Friedman is the daughter of Miss America 1970 and has done extensive research on the history of pageants and how the pageant culture has continued to influence many contests and shows today including “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette”. Friedman covers the beginnings of pageants and how they were used to entice businessmen to stay in Atlantic City. She also shares the first beautiful baby contests and how they led to the “Toddlers and Tiaras” types of pageants that were part of the Jon-Benét Ramsey childhood. The controversy behind Miss America versus Miss USA and how they became two separate pageants as well as their eventual move to live TV to garner more excitement was an interesting part of the story as well.
I was surprised by the stereotypes that took place in the pageant world. Until 1994, contestants’ height and weight were displayed in the programs as well as just seven years prior, their waist, hip, and bust measurements. This was about the time that the pageants took on more of a talent competition and contestants had a platform, an issue close to their heart like juvenile diabetes or veteran’s affairs.
There were many controversies tied to the Miss America or Miss USA pageants including Vanessa Williams giving up her crown and Mike Tyson being accused of raping a contestant of the Miss Black America pageant. Of course, child pageants were under scrutiny after the murder of Jon-Benét Ramsey and then, these pageants exploded onto the TV screen and gained, it seemed even more popularity. Friedman states:
“Some families went into debt and even bankruptcy because of their child beauty pageant addiction. One pageant mom told me, ‘There are parents down here that are losing their trailers over pageants.’ That the home was a trailer further highlighted the precarious financial position of the family.”
Hilary Levey Friedman
Even though the pageant I was a part of in 1990 was very small, I remember noticing right away when I arrived that I was likely out of my league. This was my first and only pageant and there were girls there that had done several, touring the pageant circuit to gain college scholarships. I learned a lot and appreciated the experience and have fond memories of the friendships I made. I remember my nervousness at the interviews and walking across the stage. My personal experience and reading this book have given me a new perspective on the hard work candidates take on to compete. I look forward to watching the next pageant aired on TV with new insights and knowledge. However, many have been canceled or postponed due to the pandemic, so it’s unsure when they will resume as states will also have to hold their individual pageants first. I did see on the news that the Miss Iowa pageant was held last weekend.
Photos of pageants past are included and show a historical evolution of gowns and crowns. Those readers who like historical narratives, beauty pageants, and feminist history will find this book interesting.
October 2, 2020
Levey Friedman examines the history of beauty pageants in America. As well as her researched information, she also included background from her own experiences. Her mother is a previous Miss America.
This was an interesting and very well researched in-depth view of American pageantry. I will admit that I was a bit bogged down in the details of the beginning history. While it’s always interesting to learn something new, I was more interested in drama and scandal of recent pageantry, which of course is compelling. It is important to understand the background first. I loved how the author showed how the industry grew as feminism changed. Each wave of feminism in recent history brought forth new changes: elimination of the swimsuit round, introduction of diversity, discussion of platform (social issues), etc. For example, the chapter title “burning vs. padding bras” was reminiscent of the different point of views during one particular time period. Overall, anyone interested in pageantry and/or feminism as it relates to women competing should read this book.
This was an interesting and very well researched in-depth view of American pageantry. I will admit that I was a bit bogged down in the details of the beginning history. While it’s always interesting to learn something new, I was more interested in drama and scandal of recent pageantry, which of course is compelling. It is important to understand the background first. I loved how the author showed how the industry grew as feminism changed. Each wave of feminism in recent history brought forth new changes: elimination of the swimsuit round, introduction of diversity, discussion of platform (social issues), etc. For example, the chapter title “burning vs. padding bras” was reminiscent of the different point of views during one particular time period. Overall, anyone interested in pageantry and/or feminism as it relates to women competing should read this book.
December 24, 2020
I have to admit that I have never watched nor participated in a pageant. I don’t think I have ever seen them here in Ontario (or perhaps I have just never looked) nor have I watched the Miss America or Miss Universe on television. I am not sure why they have never appealed to me, but as I read through Here She Is, it dawned on me that perhaps I felt that they were the opposite of feminism (especially the bathing suit competitions) and that I was bias against pageants based on my own assumptions, but this book made me see pageants from a new perspective.
Hilary explores the history of pageants from their unique beginnings to their current model and how they have evolved. She has matched each phase of the pageants to each feminist movement and shown how each are related. We watch as woman are empowered to take a step out in public, to be proud of their bodies and to not feel the need to hide who they are, their bodies and their role in society (and how different this is in each time period). We are shown how pageants evolved and what was considered to be allowed (how much skin could be shown, weight/body size, marital status, etc..). We are exposed to the good and the bad in this book, Hilary touches on all topics and explains them thoroughly.
What I found really interesting was how the idea of pageants can be seen in many other aspects of daily life – our obsession with some reality shows like the Bachelor. I would never have made that connection before without reading this novel. I also loved how she highlighted a key point in this book – education. So many contestants use pageants to fund their education, receiving degrees in a variety of fields. These are well educated young women who are prepared to take on some of the toughest roles in our workforce.
Here She Is opened my eyes to some of my own unconscious bias against pageants and helped me to understand the important role that they have played in empowering women throughout history. It was a great, eye opening read that I truly appreciated.
Hilary explores the history of pageants from their unique beginnings to their current model and how they have evolved. She has matched each phase of the pageants to each feminist movement and shown how each are related. We watch as woman are empowered to take a step out in public, to be proud of their bodies and to not feel the need to hide who they are, their bodies and their role in society (and how different this is in each time period). We are shown how pageants evolved and what was considered to be allowed (how much skin could be shown, weight/body size, marital status, etc..). We are exposed to the good and the bad in this book, Hilary touches on all topics and explains them thoroughly.
What I found really interesting was how the idea of pageants can be seen in many other aspects of daily life – our obsession with some reality shows like the Bachelor. I would never have made that connection before without reading this novel. I also loved how she highlighted a key point in this book – education. So many contestants use pageants to fund their education, receiving degrees in a variety of fields. These are well educated young women who are prepared to take on some of the toughest roles in our workforce.
Here She Is opened my eyes to some of my own unconscious bias against pageants and helped me to understand the important role that they have played in empowering women throughout history. It was a great, eye opening read that I truly appreciated.
October 31, 2020
Here She Is takes a measured look at beauty pageants, their history, and how they’ve flourished or floundered during the three waves of feminism. Author Hilary Levey Friedman has a special interest in the subject: her mother, Pamela Eldred, was Miss America 1970.
Friedman examines Miss America, Miss USA, and Miss Universe, including President Trump’s controversial ownership period (1996 – 2015) of the latter two, and the uproar surrounding Bert Parks’ 1979 firing from Miss America (and his one-time return in 1990, which connected to her family). Former Fox anchor Gretchen Carlson, herself Miss America 1989, is exposed as a bully and narcissist who made wholesale changes to the pageant without consulting state and local level stakeholders.
She also takes a look at teen, tween, children and baby beauty pageants, with a brief foray into JonBenet Ramsey’s murder and the Toddlers & Tiaras reign of reality TV. Two contestants featured in a BBC documentary are covered, highlighting the differences in their lives more than a decade later.
Ushering in third-wave feminism, Friedman cites Trump as “a central figure linking pageantry, politics, and feminism,” as well as driving pageantry into reality TV not only with beauty contests, but a show called Pageant Place that featured not only Misses USA and Universe, but also Miss Teen USA. Trump sold the franchises in 2015, partly because of his run for president and his toxic remarks about Latinos.
Friedman concludes that, while beauty pageants are still going strong, women are taking more responsible positions in the American public sphere, and those achievements need not be preceded by a pageant position or crown.
Friedman examines Miss America, Miss USA, and Miss Universe, including President Trump’s controversial ownership period (1996 – 2015) of the latter two, and the uproar surrounding Bert Parks’ 1979 firing from Miss America (and his one-time return in 1990, which connected to her family). Former Fox anchor Gretchen Carlson, herself Miss America 1989, is exposed as a bully and narcissist who made wholesale changes to the pageant without consulting state and local level stakeholders.
She also takes a look at teen, tween, children and baby beauty pageants, with a brief foray into JonBenet Ramsey’s murder and the Toddlers & Tiaras reign of reality TV. Two contestants featured in a BBC documentary are covered, highlighting the differences in their lives more than a decade later.
Ushering in third-wave feminism, Friedman cites Trump as “a central figure linking pageantry, politics, and feminism,” as well as driving pageantry into reality TV not only with beauty contests, but a show called Pageant Place that featured not only Misses USA and Universe, but also Miss Teen USA. Trump sold the franchises in 2015, partly because of his run for president and his toxic remarks about Latinos.
Friedman concludes that, while beauty pageants are still going strong, women are taking more responsible positions in the American public sphere, and those achievements need not be preceded by a pageant position or crown.
June 26, 2021
While it’s easy for lots of people to turn up their noses at pageants, this history was enlightening. The author pointed out so much influence and reflection between pageants and the social and cultural evolution of the United States.
One thing that was obvious throughout this book was the staggering amount of research that was compiled in it. Pageants have continually reflected society and its values. Whether it was through what contestants were expected to wear, how they were expected to behave, or showing the contestants and spectators what was perceived as the most important features of those on stage. Whether the pageants were showcasing babies (and the mothers carrying them), women of many age groups, or members of different cultures celebrating what made them similar, pageants gave them all a way to take pride in their identity.
While there are many judgments about those participating in pageants (or those in charge of that decision for younger contestants), the author also explored the varied reasons contestants worked so hard to participate and potentially win their chosen pageants. Sometimes it was a tradition for the region they were from or the family they identified with, sometimes it was actually for the prizes, or even something as simple as bragging rights or the experience of participating.
Overall, I’d give this book 3 out of 5 stars. Unlike some non-fiction books, this was entertainingly told across the timeline of pageants in the US, while also exploring different types of pageants and different participants. It was also interesting to see the different paths that pageant contestants seemed more prepared for after their participation, like very visible jobs in entertainment, broadcast journalism, or politics. I’d recommend this book to anyone interested in what pageants are really about, and how they have changed over time, just like the societies they reflect.
One thing that was obvious throughout this book was the staggering amount of research that was compiled in it. Pageants have continually reflected society and its values. Whether it was through what contestants were expected to wear, how they were expected to behave, or showing the contestants and spectators what was perceived as the most important features of those on stage. Whether the pageants were showcasing babies (and the mothers carrying them), women of many age groups, or members of different cultures celebrating what made them similar, pageants gave them all a way to take pride in their identity.
While there are many judgments about those participating in pageants (or those in charge of that decision for younger contestants), the author also explored the varied reasons contestants worked so hard to participate and potentially win their chosen pageants. Sometimes it was a tradition for the region they were from or the family they identified with, sometimes it was actually for the prizes, or even something as simple as bragging rights or the experience of participating.
Overall, I’d give this book 3 out of 5 stars. Unlike some non-fiction books, this was entertainingly told across the timeline of pageants in the US, while also exploring different types of pageants and different participants. It was also interesting to see the different paths that pageant contestants seemed more prepared for after their participation, like very visible jobs in entertainment, broadcast journalism, or politics. I’d recommend this book to anyone interested in what pageants are really about, and how they have changed over time, just like the societies they reflect.
May 17, 2024
I really enjoyed this book. I've always been fascinating by the performance of heteronormative femininity in spectacular contexts such as beauty pageants, reality television, wedding ceremonies, sorority rushes, and the like and this book is an in depth exploration of beauty pageants in American life and history. The author focuses particularly on the Miss America pageant, both for its iconic status and because of her personal connection to the pageant (her mother was a former Miss America). While I thought that the chapter on child beauty pageants could have used a youth liberationist lens (as could almost any other exploration of youth issues that is not operating with one), I was overall impressed with the balanced and non-sensationalistic tone that the author took here. I did think that some of the author's attempts to tie early American beauty pageants in with the women's suffrage movement were a bit of a stretch. I don't know if she was wrong about this, but if she was right about this, the argument in favor of this analysis could have been better.
September 9, 2020
I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This is an interesting look at beauty pageants! From personal anecdotes to behind the scenes glimpses the author ties the history of Miss America to feminist movements in the US.
There's a lot of interesting historical information about baby parades, how PT Barnum had a historical hand in beauty pageants, and notably controversies around President Trump in his role as owner of the brand. I found the historical context and modern look at beauty pageants interesting and wish that had been more of the story. The author also waits until chapter 4 to dive into the issue of intersectionality and the role of non-white women in Miss America/Miss USA pageants, so there's a lot of history included in the book but most of it is focused on middle and upper middle class white women which feels pretty narrow.
Overall there's a lot of interesting information about pageant life.
This is an interesting look at beauty pageants! From personal anecdotes to behind the scenes glimpses the author ties the history of Miss America to feminist movements in the US.
There's a lot of interesting historical information about baby parades, how PT Barnum had a historical hand in beauty pageants, and notably controversies around President Trump in his role as owner of the brand. I found the historical context and modern look at beauty pageants interesting and wish that had been more of the story. The author also waits until chapter 4 to dive into the issue of intersectionality and the role of non-white women in Miss America/Miss USA pageants, so there's a lot of history included in the book but most of it is focused on middle and upper middle class white women which feels pretty narrow.
Overall there's a lot of interesting information about pageant life.
September 6, 2020
Thoroughly fascinating look at pageants and feminism. As someone who spends an inordinate amount of time trying to justify my nearly lifelong fandom and participation while an ardent feminist taking on multiple leadership roles, I appreciated this so much the more. Confession that I am friends with the author ...one of those rare individuals that doesn't find any of this a conundrum! Can't wait to talk some of this through with her when the pandemic is over; had to settle for a reading at a virtual book launch. Dr. Friedman is a witty and intelligent writer and an all around terrific person.
Happy Golden Anniversary to Mom Pam! A joy of my 2019 Miss America attendance was having dinner with the beautiful woman whose photo graced my junior high to high school bedroom wall collage
Happy Golden Anniversary to Mom Pam! A joy of my 2019 Miss America attendance was having dinner with the beautiful woman whose photo graced my junior high to high school bedroom wall collage
Read
May 8, 2024------Originally posted at www.pluckyreader.com------
Do you know what I love more than almost anything else on this planet? Knowing obscure information that the people around me don’t know. I know, I know. It’s completely inane. It’s like I perpetually want to be that guy at the party who keeps people entertained.
(Okay, to be fair, that’s exactly what I want to be. I miss parties. I miss entertaining. I miss knowing things that the people around me don’t know because my wife is brilliant and knows everything before I have the chance to know it.)
I once wrote a book called 1000 Paper Cranes (you can read it over at Wattpad, typos and all). The protagonist, Jordan, memorized tons and tons and tons of facts so that he could make conversation with people. Jordan is a gross exaggeration of myself. I’m not quite as socially awkward as Jordan (I’m also not a smart driven, but that’s beside the point), but I do love to know things that make people stop and say “hmmm.”
And I feel like my most recent read has contributed greatly to my ability to make people stop, scratch their chins, and say “hmmmm” as they consider the things I just told them. This weekend, I had the pleasure of reading Here She Is: The Complicated Reign of the Beauty Pageant in America.
If you were to draw a Venn diagram of all my interests, I’m not sure the intersection of all of them would wind up at this book, but somehow, this book rung so many of my bells that it even surprised me. My wife did pageants in college, particularly she wanted to win our university’s pageant which would have made her an important voice for the student body; she would have had a vote at all big meetings concerning our school. The first time she performed in the pageant, we were only just beginning to be close friends and I couldn’t figure out why a woman as smart as she would want to be in pageants. She taught me a lot about pageants then, and that it actually took intelligence, as well as grace, to become involved in the pageant scene.
Once I began dating her, we spent a lot of time watching Toddlers & Tiaras and the drama and disaster of it all drew me in. Whereas a friend of mine was happy to confess that he was going to put his daughter in pageants young, it only served to teach me that my daughters would definitely never do pageants until they asked, and even then they’d have to wait. That’s too much pressure and vicarious-living packed into one makeup-and-hair-spray-filled room for my taste.
Fast-forward a few years and I began teaching in Louisiana. I met and became very close with my friend Jennifer who had been Mrs. Louisiana. Again, my perception of what pageant life meant was altered again. I got to work daily with a woman who often used her pageant training to smile through difficult days and to present her best face when having to speak about difficult topics. She has told me on more than one occasion that her pageant training comes in handy so often at work because of interview skills and her ability to smile through anything.
All that to say, leading up to me getting my hands on this book, I had many preconceived notions about pageants and the types of women who did them. Luckily, these notions were mainly positive, but not always. Especially not with the way Toddlers & Tiaras and other trainwreck TV shows portrayed pageants and people who participated in pageants.
Here She Is shattered every single one of those preconceived notions, even the positive ones I had from my experiences with my wife and Jennifer. From the very beginning, this book worked to reshape the basic understanding of the American Beauty Pageant.
Hilary Levey Friedman, Ph.D., is a sociologist, and a professor in the Department of Education at Brown University. If her teaching is anything like her writing, I’d love to take a class or two from her. She is knowledgeable, well-researched, and writes with an interesting voice. She made me want to keep reading and learning and understanding the pageants and what her research has revealed.
Dr. Friedman has a unique perspective on pageants, being the daughter of Miss America 1970. She brings not only a sociologist’s perspective to the history and development of pageants as we know them but the perspective of somebody close to–on the fringes of–something that is bigger than anybody can see at first glance.
In just the first few pages of Here She Is, I felt like I had learned so much. I was ready to go to my first post-Covid party and wow the crowd with my factoids. (Did you know that the sashes of beauty pageants were modeled after the sashes the suffragettes wore?) Tracking the progression pageants through today, with important conversations surrounding the #MeToo movement, Friedman doesn’t shy away from hard topics. She doesn’t sugarcoat or gloss over the negative parts of the truth surrounding pageants, and that’s so important. Friedman doesn’t approach this as a pageant protestor or supporter, but merely as a third-party observer, with an important female perspective.
So, here’s the deal. If you’ve watched Miss Congeniality more than thrice–on purpose–this book is probably for you. If you’ve had strong feelings about the talent winner of any pageant ever, this book is for you. If you were upset that Kim of Queens was canceled and you didn’t get any closure on Kim Gravel and her students (looking at you, Lifetime), then this is the book for you.
But on a broader spectrum, if you love history, sociology, and women’s rights, this book is for you. It’s well-written, well-researched, and speaks to important topics surrounding the pageant community. Give it a read, learn something new, and continue to learn after that. You’ll thank me for it.
Plucky’s rating?
3.5 out of 5 stars.
Do you know what I love more than almost anything else on this planet? Knowing obscure information that the people around me don’t know. I know, I know. It’s completely inane. It’s like I perpetually want to be that guy at the party who keeps people entertained.
(Okay, to be fair, that’s exactly what I want to be. I miss parties. I miss entertaining. I miss knowing things that the people around me don’t know because my wife is brilliant and knows everything before I have the chance to know it.)
I once wrote a book called 1000 Paper Cranes (you can read it over at Wattpad, typos and all). The protagonist, Jordan, memorized tons and tons and tons of facts so that he could make conversation with people. Jordan is a gross exaggeration of myself. I’m not quite as socially awkward as Jordan (I’m also not a smart driven, but that’s beside the point), but I do love to know things that make people stop and say “hmmm.”
And I feel like my most recent read has contributed greatly to my ability to make people stop, scratch their chins, and say “hmmmm” as they consider the things I just told them. This weekend, I had the pleasure of reading Here She Is: The Complicated Reign of the Beauty Pageant in America.
If you were to draw a Venn diagram of all my interests, I’m not sure the intersection of all of them would wind up at this book, but somehow, this book rung so many of my bells that it even surprised me. My wife did pageants in college, particularly she wanted to win our university’s pageant which would have made her an important voice for the student body; she would have had a vote at all big meetings concerning our school. The first time she performed in the pageant, we were only just beginning to be close friends and I couldn’t figure out why a woman as smart as she would want to be in pageants. She taught me a lot about pageants then, and that it actually took intelligence, as well as grace, to become involved in the pageant scene.
Once I began dating her, we spent a lot of time watching Toddlers & Tiaras and the drama and disaster of it all drew me in. Whereas a friend of mine was happy to confess that he was going to put his daughter in pageants young, it only served to teach me that my daughters would definitely never do pageants until they asked, and even then they’d have to wait. That’s too much pressure and vicarious-living packed into one makeup-and-hair-spray-filled room for my taste.
Fast-forward a few years and I began teaching in Louisiana. I met and became very close with my friend Jennifer who had been Mrs. Louisiana. Again, my perception of what pageant life meant was altered again. I got to work daily with a woman who often used her pageant training to smile through difficult days and to present her best face when having to speak about difficult topics. She has told me on more than one occasion that her pageant training comes in handy so often at work because of interview skills and her ability to smile through anything.
All that to say, leading up to me getting my hands on this book, I had many preconceived notions about pageants and the types of women who did them. Luckily, these notions were mainly positive, but not always. Especially not with the way Toddlers & Tiaras and other trainwreck TV shows portrayed pageants and people who participated in pageants.
Here She Is shattered every single one of those preconceived notions, even the positive ones I had from my experiences with my wife and Jennifer. From the very beginning, this book worked to reshape the basic understanding of the American Beauty Pageant.
Hilary Levey Friedman, Ph.D., is a sociologist, and a professor in the Department of Education at Brown University. If her teaching is anything like her writing, I’d love to take a class or two from her. She is knowledgeable, well-researched, and writes with an interesting voice. She made me want to keep reading and learning and understanding the pageants and what her research has revealed.
Dr. Friedman has a unique perspective on pageants, being the daughter of Miss America 1970. She brings not only a sociologist’s perspective to the history and development of pageants as we know them but the perspective of somebody close to–on the fringes of–something that is bigger than anybody can see at first glance.
In just the first few pages of Here She Is, I felt like I had learned so much. I was ready to go to my first post-Covid party and wow the crowd with my factoids. (Did you know that the sashes of beauty pageants were modeled after the sashes the suffragettes wore?) Tracking the progression pageants through today, with important conversations surrounding the #MeToo movement, Friedman doesn’t shy away from hard topics. She doesn’t sugarcoat or gloss over the negative parts of the truth surrounding pageants, and that’s so important. Friedman doesn’t approach this as a pageant protestor or supporter, but merely as a third-party observer, with an important female perspective.
So, here’s the deal. If you’ve watched Miss Congeniality more than thrice–on purpose–this book is probably for you. If you’ve had strong feelings about the talent winner of any pageant ever, this book is for you. If you were upset that Kim of Queens was canceled and you didn’t get any closure on Kim Gravel and her students (looking at you, Lifetime), then this is the book for you.
But on a broader spectrum, if you love history, sociology, and women’s rights, this book is for you. It’s well-written, well-researched, and speaks to important topics surrounding the pageant community. Give it a read, learn something new, and continue to learn after that. You’ll thank me for it.
Plucky’s rating?
3.5 out of 5 stars.
December 17, 2025
Here She Is is a sharp, nuanced, and surprisingly compelling reexamination of beauty pageants as a serious force in American feminist history. Hilary Levey Friedman moves beyond easy judgments to reveal how pageants have both reflected and shaped women’s public power offering opportunity, visibility, and leadership pathways, even as they reinforced damaging standards.
Balanced, well researched, and culturally astute, this book doesn’t excuse pageantry’s failures it interrogates them. The result is a thoughtful, provocative study that challenges readers to reconsider what empowerment has looked like for American women, and why pageants still matter today.
Balanced, well researched, and culturally astute, this book doesn’t excuse pageantry’s failures it interrogates them. The result is a thoughtful, provocative study that challenges readers to reconsider what empowerment has looked like for American women, and why pageants still matter today.
September 13, 2020
Fascinating look at the history of beauty pageants, without gossip or salaciousness. I liked especially that the author presented a fair, unopinionated, unbiased view and I learned a great deal about the history of pageants. Personally, I remain on the anti side for numerous reasons, but I could understand how some girls and women thought this was their ticket to a better life.
Disclosure: the author is a friend of mine, and a partner in advocacy for women in Rhode Island.
Disclosure: the author is a friend of mine, and a partner in advocacy for women in Rhode Island.
August 30, 2020
The author’s combination of research and personal stories made this a book I could not put down. Not being a “pageant” person myself, I learned so much while feeling personally connected to the author. I highly suggest this for any woman (or man) looking to further understand waves of feminism and their effect on pop culture.
September 1, 2020
Fascinating! I haven't finished reading this yet, but the author's story-telling style quickly pulled me in and her lifelong passion for the pageantry world caught my attention. Intriguing; I had always thought of beauty pageants as being decidedly anti-feminist; this book is opening my eyes to the opposite.
January 1, 2021
This book is written by Prof. Levey Friedman who's a daughter of Miss America 1970.
I appreciate the perspective which appears to be an honest observation and provides examples on how beauty has an effect on American culture.
What I like best about the story is it provides a history of American women and shows the segue to the American women's movement.
I appreciate the perspective which appears to be an honest observation and provides examples on how beauty has an effect on American culture.
What I like best about the story is it provides a history of American women and shows the segue to the American women's movement.
August 25, 2020
This was a very in-depth look into how the beauty pageant industry has undergone some drastic changes but still maintains a lot of the same problems and where these issues stem from. It also talks about why pageants still remain popular.
August 28, 2020
Loved this read! So fun and so full of incredible history and passion. The ultimate pageant book! An incredible piece of feminism writing. Author Levy has a voice and style that clips along brilliantly making for an enjoyable read.
December 31, 2020
This is like reading a bad masters thesis and even more boring. The writing is bad. The language used is out of date (differently abled?! Really?). I’ve never read a book that wasn’t an autobiography in which the author refers to herself so much. I can’t finish this. It’s just too awful.
November 10, 2021
This is a more scholarly text than I am usually reading these days but I learned a lot from it. Very thoughtful look at the history of pageants and how it intertwines with feminist movements. I was particularly interested in her view of when and what is third wave feminism.
September 22, 2023
8/10: I loved hearing about the history of pageantry because Friedman covered all systems not just Miss America and the importance they have in relation to each other; was definitely biased in some areas which always makes me wary of credibility
November 1, 2020
Although an interesting look at the history of pageants, I feel like the author had a pretty significant bias.
December 7, 2020
Excellent book if you're interested in the history of beauty pageants and feminism.
My Review
My Review
March 18, 2021
Phenomenal book and a must-read.
August 1, 2021
Rounded up from 2.5. A basic analysis of beauty pageants which reads like an extended term paper. But interesting anecdotes about individuals who managed and participated in the pageants.
July 20, 2024
i thought the content was interesting but sometimes i had a hard time following. good research makes you feel something and i appreciate having to challenge my thoughts and opinions
August 12, 2025
Not a bad read! I’m pretty well versed in MA history so there were really no surprises there, but learned that there are a TON of pageants I had no idea existed. Overall, not a bad read!
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