A "Miss"Represented Miss America

On September 7th of 1921, the first Miss America Pageant was held in Atlantic City, New Jersey as an approach to increase tourism. Despite resistance from critics, who claimed the contest was risqué, the pageant gained almost instant success. Margaret Gorman, the first official "Miss America," became a model for the ideal American woman. As Samuel Gompers of the New York Times remarked, "She (Margaret Gorman) represents the type of womanhood America needs; strong, red-blooded, able to shoulder the responsibilities of home-making and motherhood. It is in her type that the hope of the country resides."(Gompers) Perhaps this idea of the model female American was well-received in 1921. Much has changed since then, especially for women. But does the Miss America pageant reflect these changes? Or are the women who walk across that stage every year actually degrading the females who have, and continue to sacrifice for the good of womankind?......

Join Now to view the rest of this term paper!
Members: Login to view this research paper.

Title: Ms America
Approximate Word Count: 1587
Approximate Pages: 7 (250 words per double-spaced page)

With the Term Papers Lab Membership Pass, you get instant access to every essay on this site, including this essay on Ms America, for as long as you remain a member.

Other essays sites charge almost $100 for a single term paper. At Term Papers Lab, you can get instant access to over 100,000 research papers for as little as $29.95!