Miss America

One of the biggest accomplishments that a person can ever have is to be crowned Miss America.  The Miss America pageant is always one of the most watched specials on television, as audiences eagerly wait to see who has been anointed this year’s Miss America.

The Miss America Pageant began in 1921, as a promotional gimmick by the Atlantic City hotelman, Frederick Hickman.  Eventually, this rampant attempt to sell products through sex became a national institution.  The Miss America pageant instantly brings credibility to the winner, who receives a scholarship to pursue their educational desires.

Hickman once famously said that, ”Miss America represents the highest ideals.  She is a real combination of beauty, grace, and intelligence, artistic and refined.  She is a type which the American Girl might well emulate.”  This saying has been prophetic, as many American girls do dream about being crowned Miss America.

Of course, one of the biggest questions that people have is how Miss America is chosen.  Well, according to the 2004 Miss America website, the judging portion of the Miss America pageant is actually quiet complex.  First of all, there isn’t just one Miss America pageant but a number of pageants that eventually build up to the grand climax that is the Miss America pageant.

The first step of the Miss America judging process begins on the state level.  Miss America represents all of the beautiful women from the beautiful states of the country.  However, these contestants must go through a preliminary pageant process to be crowned Miss .  In the preliminary competition, contestants are judged on how they look wearing casual wear and how they answer an on-stage question in this casual wear.  Judges then award a numerical value to how the contestants handled this abstract task, which is then weighed as 15% of the total mark.  An additional 10% of the final score is set to the lifestyle and fitness in swimsuit competition.  Considering how many problems must be solved when one is in their swimsuit, this portion of the preliminary pageants is crucial.  Another 15% of the total mark is devoted to how a contestant looks while wearing eveningwear.  This leaves another 60% of the total score to be divided evenly to judging a contestant’s talent and how they perform in a private interview.  The talent portion of the Miss America pageants have become so loved that they’re being eliminated in next year’s final competition.  However, the talent portion allows contestants to showcase their singing skills or even their trampoline jumping skills.  The private interview component of the Miss America pageants seem a bit shady but we can’t really comment on that, as we don’t really know what goes on in this private interview.

Once the preliminary stages of the Miss America pageant are complete, we enter the final stage of competition.  However, as there are dismissals of contestants through this final stage, it is important to show that among the top 10 finalists: a composite score, a casual wear competition, and another swimsuit competition is performed.  Once five of these finalists have been eliminated, this leaves the final five.  These five compete in an eveningwear competition and a thrilling on-stage quiz that ensures that Miss America will be a lethal combination of beauty (particularly in swimsuit) and knowledge (particularly in trivia).  Once the judges have determined which three of the final five are just posers and unworthy of the title of Miss America, we enter the last stage.  A final competition revolving around talent between the last two finalists leads to the appointment of a Miss America.  Miss America is then crowned and must immediately go off to complete her many duties.  God bless you Miss America!