storiesinhistory

[storiesinhistory]

[storiesinhistory]

The Miss America Pageant Protest

Ever heard a feminist referred to as a bra burner?

In 1968, feminist activists led by the New York Radical Women protested the prevalent sexism, racism, consumerism and pro-war messaging within the Miss America Pageant, right outside of the 1969 competition (I know, the dates are confusing).

Since 1921, Miss America has become an 'American tradition' for many, which often defines the role of women in the US. Although it has recently been updated for the modern era (good riddance to the swimsuit portion), like most pageants, the competition heavily judged contestants on appearance. The New York Radical Women viewed this as a clear representation of the rampant objectification of women present in society, and organised the protest of approximately 400 women outside of the pageant location in Atlanta. They also condemned the Miss America tour of Vietnam during the war, the corporate sponsorship of the winner, and the clear white supremacy shown through the contestants.

The forms of protest that the women utilised were intentionally provocative. This was to turn more attention from the public onto the protest, but ended up working to their disadvantage. With signs like 'Miss America Is a Big Falsie', and a group of women crowning a sheep as Miss America, the protestors gave of the impression that they were jealous of Miss America. In a critique that organiser Carol Hanisch wrote, she states that "Miss America and all beautiful women came off as our enemy instead of as our sisters who suffer with us," which perfectly captures the criticism hurled against the protesters during and following the protest.

Now, to bra burning. This phrase came from the freedom trashcan, in which the protesters through symbols of oppression, such as playboy magazines, cleaning supplies, and of course... bras. Interestingly enough, the protesters were not allowed to burn these items, as the protest took place on a boardwalk and there were concerns of it setting alight. Despite this, journalist Lindsey Van Gelder compared the women to draft burners, thus coining 'bra burners.' This misrepresentation of feminists being bra burning man haters has continued ever since.

It's not all bad, though. Many historians believe that if it wasn't for the Miss America Pageant Protest, the second wave of feminism would never have reached the mainstream. Basically, their media coverage made women's liberation a household name.

It is also important to recognise the Miss Black America protest, a competition that took place on the same evening. Organised by civil rights activist J. Morris Anderson, the competition aimed to extend beauty standards to include Black women, as there had been no Black contestants in the competition. Saundra Williams, the winner of the pageant, stated "Miss America does not represent us because there has never been a black girl in the pageant. With my title, I can show black women that they too are beautiful..."

***Unedited article***

12/07/2022