"There She Is, Miss America": The Politics of Sex, Beauty, and Race in America's Most Famous Pageant [Paperback]

Elwood Watson (Editor), Darcy Martin (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1403963029 | ISBN-13: 978-1403963024 | Publication Date: August 21, 2004 | Edition: First Edition

While some see the Miss American Pageant as hokey vestige of another era, many remain enthralled by the annual Atlantic City event. And whether you love it or hate it, no one can deny the impact the contest has had on American popular culture-indeed, many reality television shows seem to have taken cues from the pageant. Founded in 1921, the Miss America Pageant has provided a fascinating glimpse into how American standards of femininity have been defined, projected, maintained, and challenged. At various times, it has been praised as a positive role model for young American women, protested as degrading to women by feminists, and shamed by scandals, such as the one caused by the Penthouse photos of Vanessa Williams in 1984. In this first interdisciplinary anthology to examine this uniquely American event, scholars defend, critique, and reflect on the pageant, grappling with themes like beauty, race, the body, identity, kitsch, and consumerism. "There She Is, Miss America" provides a fascinating examination of an enduring American icon.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This book is a significant exploration of the dilemma of American women in our modern consumer culture between glamour as objectification and standardization and, conversely, as a means of self-expression. These essays edited by Elwood Watson and Darcy Martin encompass issues of gender, race, and nationality as manifested in the history of the Miss America pageant in an exciting manner to show the power of popular culture in the national consciousness."
-- Lois Banner, Professor of History and Gender Studies, University of Southern California

"'There She Is, Miss America' is an insightful yet sobering examination of the identity politics surrounding the Miss America Pageant. It is essential reading for those interested in developing their understanding of issues of body, beauty, racial, and sexual identity."
--Robin R. Means Coleman, Associate Professor of Communication, University of Pittsburgh, and author of Say It Loud!: African Americans, Media, and Identity

About the Author

Elwood W. Watson is associate professor of history at East Tennessee State University. Darcy Martin is an adjunct assistant professor in the Women's Studies Department at East Tennessee State University.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan; First Edition edition (August 21, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1403963029
• ISBN-13: 978-1403963024
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #101,899 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Insightful Scholarship regarding Miss America, February 27, 2006

By 

Dr. Andrew J. Deroche (Longmont, CO USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: "There She Is, Miss America": The Politics of Sex, Beauty, and Race in America's Most Famous Pageant (Paperback)

Elwood Watson and Darcy Martin have compiled an interesting and insightful volume on the history and meaning of the Miss America Pagaent. Starting out with their compelling introductory essay, Watson and Martin offer fascinating detail and thoughtful analysis of this classic cultural event. The chapters in this study approach the topic from a wide range of perspectives, from the early days of the extravaganza to the crowning and decrowning of Vanessa Williams in the 1980s to the contoversies of the 21st century. The volume also includes a reprint of an excellent essay from well-known writer Gerald Early. Overall the book is a rewarding read which reminds us that any subject, when researched thoroughly and analyzed skillfully, can be "real" history.

4.0 out of 5 stars A very insightful look of an annual American tradition, December 19, 2009

By 

M. Johnson "The Roving Scholar" (Phoenix, Arizona) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: "There She Is, Miss America": The Politics of Sex, Beauty, and Race in America's Most Famous Pageant (Paperback)

This anthology is an excellent narrative of the sexual, cultural,, racial, regional and political aspects of the Miss America Pageant. While primarily designed for an academic audience, the collection of essays are also accesible to well educated individuals who are not academics.

While a couple of essays are shorter than desireable given their focus, the book is a valuable conribution to the fields of gender and cultural studies.

2 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Ther she is Miss America: the Politics of sex, beauty & race in America's most famous pageant, August 23, 2008

By 

Colin X. Kreitzer - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: "There She Is, Miss America": The Politics of Sex, Beauty, and Race in America's Most Famous Pageant (Kindle Edition)

this is the most disappointing book i've even read on the pageant. Poorly written, with way too much analysis of each topic that becomes as remote from the main topic, (the pageant) as it can get. Other books get into the contestants & the comptitions that keep them interesting and readable. This book is completly unfocused & frankly, boring.