Almost all Americans have at some point in their lives seen the Miss America Pageant. It is the nation's oldest beauty pageant and one of the most popular entertainment events in American history. Alternately extolled, obsessed over, praised and condemned, the Pageant has survived a century of tumultuous change to become a classic American icon. MISS AMERICA is the first major documentary
film to go beyond the myths and stereotypes to explore how some of America's most dramatic social and cultural transformations are reflected through the rich history of the Miss America Pageant. An honest, moving and funny look at one of our most popular cultural institutions, MISS AMERICA follows the story of the Pageant from its beginnings in 1921, while exploring what it means to be an "ideal" American woman.
Combining rare archival footage and still photographs with never-before-seen live footage of the Pageant today, the film features on-camera interviews with a host of distinguished commentators including Gloria Steinem, William Goldman, Margaret Cho, Isaac Mizrahi, Julia Alvarez and former Miss Americas
Bess Myerson, Lee Meriwether and Mary Ann Mobley.
