The first Miss America pageant took place in Atlantic City in September 1921. Local businessmen created the event to convince tourists to stay at the beach after Labor Day. Margaret Gorman, a sixteen-year-old from Washington, D.C., won the first title. At that time, judges focused almost entirely on physical appearance. Contestants wore one-piece swimsuits that were considered daring for the era. The event was originally called the “Inter-City Beauty” contest.
In the 1930s, the pageant organizers added a talent portion to the competition. This change happened in 1935 to make the contest about more than just looks. Lenora Slaughter became the director during this decade and worked to make the event more respectable. She introduced the rule that contestants must be between the ages of 18 and 28. In 1945, the pageant began offering college scholarships to winners. This made the competition a tool for women to pay for their education. Bess Myerson won that year and was the first Jewish Miss America.
Television changed the pageants forever in 1954. For the first time, millions of people watched the event from their homes. Lee Meriwether won the title during this first televised broadcast. By the 1960s, the pageant faced criticism for its lack of diversity. In 1968, protesters gathered outside the Atlantic City convention hall to speak out against the event. That same year, the Miss Black America pageant was founded to represent African American women who were excluded from the main competition.
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The 1980s brought significant milestones for the competition. Vanessa Williams became the first African American Miss America in 1983. This decade also saw more focus on the “platform” of each contestant. Each woman chose a specific social cause to support during her year of service. The swimsuit competition remained a major part of the broadcast during these years. Judges used a point system to score the women on their fitness and confidence while they walked across the stage.
Rule changes continued to shift the focus of the event through the late 20th century. In 1999, the pageant removed the rule that contestants could never have been married or had a marriage annulled. This opened the competition to a wider range of women. The event moved its location from Atlantic City to Las Vegas for several years starting in 2006. Throughout these decades, the pageant required contestants to compete in evening wear, talent, and on-stage interviews to determine the winner.
