102 minutos
Tracking the country’s oldest beauty contest—from its inception in 1921 as a local seaside pageant to its heyday as one of the country’s most popular events—Miss America paints a vivid picture of an institution that has come to reveal much about a changing nation. The pageant is about commercialism and sexual politics, about big business and small towns. But beyond the symbolism lies a human story—at once moving, inspiring, infuriating, funny, and poignant. Combining rare archival footage, with a host of intimate interviews with distinguished commentators including Gloria Steinem, Margaret Cho, Isaac Mizrahi, former contestants and behind–the–scenes footage and photographs, the film reveals why some women took part in the fledgling event and why others briefly rejected it - how the pageant became a battle ground and a barometer for the changing position of women in society.
Cherry Jones
Narrator
Julia Álvarez
Self
Sarah Banet-Weiser
Self
Margaret Cho
Self
Kimberly Clarice Aiken
Self
Ric Ferentz
Self
William Goldman
Self
Vicki Gold Levi
Self
Leonard Horn
Self
Lee Meriwether
Self
Isaac Mizrahi
Self
Mary Ann Mobley
Self
Robin Morgan
Self
Kathy Peiss
Self
Tricia Rose
Self
Kate Shindle
Self
Gloria Steinem
Self
