Stars:
Cherry Jones
โข
Julia รlvarez
โข
Sarah Banet-Weiser
Tracking the countryโs oldest beauty contestโfrom its inception in 1921 as a local seaside pageant to its heyday as one of the countryโs most popular eventsโMiss 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 storyโat 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 behindโtheโscenes 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.