DOCSLIB.ORG

Queen Bess: an Unauthorized Biography of Bess Myerson Online

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Queen Bess: an Unauthorized Biography of Bess Myerson Online A9XVt [Free download] Queen Bess: An Unauthorized Biography of Bess Myerson Online [A9XVt.ebook] Queen Bess: An Unauthorized Biography of Bess Myerson Pdf Free Jennifer Preston ebooks | Download PDF | *ePub | DOC | audiobook #312253 in eBooks 2016-03-29 2016-03-29File Name: B01BM1TJ3O | File size: 25.Mb Jennifer Preston : Queen Bess: An Unauthorized Biography of Bess Myerson before purchasing it in order to gage whether or not it would be worth my time, and all praised Queen Bess: An Unauthorized Biography of Bess Myerson: 13 of 13 people found the following review helpful. A Thorough Examination of the Bess Mess !!By tularosaThis is a well-researched and well-written biography of the Miss America turned TV personality, turned consumer activist and politician, who fell from grace when her efforts to help her then boyfriend in a New York divorce case blew up in the faces of everyone involved, including Mayor Ed Koch.Bess Myerson was a complex and very talented person, who could be incredibly compassionate, but also downright nasty and manipulative at times. The chapters on her reported phone harassment of an ex-boyfriend (whose identity is hidden behind a pseudonym, to protect his privacy and that of the woman he later married), and her shoplifting incidents in London and Pennsylvania, show a quite troubled side to the former beauty queen, who was beloved by so many until she was indicted on federal bribery charges and the facts started coming out about her misbehavior.Originally published in 1990, I was pleased to see this book re-issued in Kindle format, with a new introduction by the author. Still an entertaining and interesting read.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. The Bess MessBy Neil HolmanWhat a story! I knew some of the facts, but not how sad Bess Myerson's life really was. Apparently her mother's withholding her approval made Bess' attempts at affection and working with people very difficult. Hers was a restless soul. She had a flair for the public eye, and by all accounts was very effective as a consumer advocate, but otherwise, her life was unfulfilled and embarrassing. WIth all her flaws, I felt very sorry for her. I recommend the book.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. ... it five stars was that I found it rather tedious towards the endBy adopted grandmotherThis was a riveting biography and the only reason I didn't give it five stars was that I found it rather tedious towards the end. For readability I think the author could have into a bit less tedous detail of the courtroom drama at the end but I stuck through it simply because it was such an interesting read.I grew up watching TV personality Bess Myerson in the in the 1950s and 1960s and I knew she had been Miss America. Aside from knowing she had been in politics and Commissioner of Consumer Affairs in New York City -- and that the cloud of scandal was associated with her name towards the end of her career, I knew very little about this amazing woman's life. Her early life gives insight into how she was pressured by her mother to excel at whatever she pursued, be it academics, music, and it was the same driving force that led her to win Miss New York and subsequently Miss America of 1945. She was the first Jewish Miss America at a time when Anti-Semitism was commonplace and throughout her life she was supportive of anti-defamation group and gave inspiration to countless Jewish women. And to countless non-Jewish women too, for she seemingly had it all -- glamor, poise, a flair for early television game shows and the later ones where she was a fixture as a panelist.What went wrong? This book examines her rise to power in politics, her personal life and its many tumultuous romances, and what, ultimately greed, jealousy and power can do to destroy a person's credibility in the eyes of the public. As detailed in this absorbing biography, Bess Myerson dazzled as a beauty queen, television personality, and politicianmdash;before scandal toppled her career When Bess Myerson, the Bronx-born daughter of Jewish immigrants, was crowned Miss America in 1945, she was determined to break down gender barriers and be more than a beauty queen. Amid rampant anti-Semitism, she took advantage of her reign to call for an end to bigotry and hate. Then, after more than two decades as a glamorous television personality, Myerson took on corporate America, applying her celebrity as a consumer advocate to become an influential New York City political figure credited with helping elect Mayor Edward I. Koch. But behind the glittering public image, Myerson struggled with unhappy marriages. Then, in her early sixties, she found love with a much younger married man. The romance put her at the center of a political corruption scandal that led to federal charges brought by US Attorney Rudolph W. Giuliani, ending the reign of Queen Bess, New Yorkrsquo;s favorite daughter, after more than forty years. Award-winning investigative journalist Jennifer Preston reveals Myersonrsquo;s fascinating life story in this engaging biography. Featuring interviews with Myerson herself and a new introduction from the author, Queen Bess remains the most comprehensive account of this ambitious and talented woman who inspired, entertained, and shocked millions. From Publishers WeeklyThe first Jewish Miss America (1945), TV celebrity and New York City's Consumer Affairs commissioner under Mayor John Lindsay, Bess Myerson became commissioner of Cultural Affairs during the terms of Mayor Edward Koch, when she also served as the city's unofficial First Lady. In this engrossing, detailed and empathetic portrait, former Newsday reporter Preston depicts Myerson as brilliant and charming, but unpredictable and at times ruthless, her accomplishments marred by disastrous marriages and love affairs. Her downfall resulted from an attempt on behalf of a lover to bribe the state superior judge presiding over his divorce. Although she was acquitted of conspiracy charges, the scandal cut short her career. Photos not seen by PW. Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. ldquo;Ms. Prestonrsquo;s reporting is meticulous and therefore fascinating.rdquo; mdash;The New York Timesnbsp;ldquo;[An] engrossing, detailed and empathetic portrait.rdquo; mdash;Publishers Weeklynbsp;ldquo;Copiously reported and clearly recounted .nbsp;.nbsp;. insightful.rdquo; mdash;Kirkus snbsp; [A9XVt.ebook] Queen Bess: An Unauthorized Biography of Bess Myerson By Jennifer Preston PDF [A9XVt.ebook] Queen Bess: An Unauthorized Biography of Bess Myerson By Jennifer Preston Epub [A9XVt.ebook] Queen Bess: An Unauthorized Biography of Bess Myerson By Jennifer Preston Ebook [A9XVt.ebook] Queen Bess: An Unauthorized Biography of Bess Myerson By Jennifer Preston Rar [A9XVt.ebook] Queen Bess: An Unauthorized Biography of Bess Myerson By Jennifer Preston Zip [A9XVt.ebook] Queen Bess: An Unauthorized Biography of Bess Myerson By Jennifer Preston Read Online.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • New York City Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith (2)
    The original documents are located in Box 16, folder “6/11/75 - New York City Anti- Defamation League of B'nai B'rith (2)” of the Sheila Weidenfeld Files at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library. Copyright Notice The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Gerald R. Ford donated to the United States of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections. Works prepared by U.S. Government employees as part of their official duties are in the public domain. The copyrights to materials written by other individuals or organizations are presumed to remain with them. If you think any of the information displayed in the PDF is subject to a valid copyright claim, please contact the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library. Digitized from Box 16 of the Sheila Weidenfeld Files at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library PURPOSE& ' .. PURPOSE& PROGRAM ADL: Yesterday and Today The Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith is one of the nation's oldest and leading human rela­ tions agencies. It is dedicated in purpose and program to translating this country's heritage of democratic ideals into a way of life for all Americans in our time. AD L was founded in 1913 with a handful of stationery, two desks in a Chicago law office, and a group of determined volunteers who set as its goal "to end the defamation of the Jewish people ... to secure justice and fair treatment for all citizens alike." Overt and unabashed anti-Semitism was the order of the day: resort advertising that read, "No do~! No Jews!"; offensive caricatures of Jews in magazine cartoons; crude and cruel stereotypes on stage and screen; best-seller circulation of such anti­ Semitic documents as "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion"; the trial by prejudice of Leo Frank, a "Yankee Jew" accused of rape and murder in Atlanta, Ga., a few years after the Bellus "ritual murder" case in Russia.
    [Show full text]
  • Ice Cream Airport and Landing Areas, Carry­ by Popular Demand We Are Continulbg Tus Special Another Week Dropped Today, Helping Weary Fire­ Life
    FRIDAY, AUGtrST 11, 1961 Averaffe Net Press Run The Weather For tho Weak Ended ForecMt of O. 8. Weather gone 8, 1981 ^ The weekly Friday dances sponsored by the recreation de­ Tot’s First Drive itsm , ___ ___ _ « I 13,3.30 Clearing, cooler,tonight. Low In About Town partment win be held tonight at Sartor to Train at Chanute mld-60e, Suqday moetly. mmny, the West Side tennis courts from Ends with Crash Member of the Audit cooler, letM humid. High 88 to 86. Mancheider Banmcki, Vateraas 7:30 to 8:30 for youngsters As CAP Cadet^ Then Airman Boreau of Gircalatlon Of WorW War I, will be hoet to a throught 12. and 8:30 to 10:30 Manchester— A City of Village Charm for teen-agers. A three-year-old’s first experi­ department meeting of the De­ ence with driving had crashing re­ partment of Connecticut Sunday Cadet Capt. Richard Sartor of >year the space program has been liiii mghth District Fire Department sults last night The lad only re­ VOL. LXXX, NO. 266 (TEN PAGES—TV SECHON—SUBURBIA TODAY) lilANCHESTER, CONN., SATURDAY, AUGUST 12, 1961 (Clooaifled Advertteiog on Page 8) PRICE FIVE CENTS at S p.m. at the VPW Poat Home, the Manchester Cadet Squadron of offered. MANCHESTER iilil members who wish to participate Sartor has passed tests on mis-. ceived a bump on the forehead. MAIN STREET Manclieater Green. Barracks and the a v ll Air Patrol will receive auxiliary units throughout the In a parade in Broad Brook will sUes and rocketry conducted by training at the same U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • Sink Or Swim: Deciding the Fate of the Miss America Swimsuit Competition
    Volume 4, Issue No. 1. Sink or Swim: Deciding the Fate of the Miss America Swimsuit Competition Grace Slapak Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA ÒÏ Abstract: The Miss America beauty pageant has faced widespread criticism for the swimsuit portion of its show. Feminists claim that the event promotes objectification and oversexualization of contestants in direct contrast to the Miss America Organization’s (MAO) message of progressive female empowerment. The MAO’s position as the leading source of women’s scholarships worldwide begs the question: should women have to compete in a bikini to pay for a place in a cellular biology lecture? As dissent for the pageant mounts, the new head of the MAO Board of Directors, Gretchen Carlson, and the first all-female Board of Directors must decide where to steer the faltering organization. The MAO, like many other businesses, must choose whether to modernize in-line with social movements or whole-heartedly maintain their contentious traditions. When considering the MAO’s long and controversial history, along with their recent scandals, the #MeToo Movement, and the complex world of television entertainment, the path ahead is anything but clear. Ultimately, Gretchen Carlson and the Board of Directors may have to decide between their feminist beliefs and their professional business aspirations. Underlying this case, then, is the question of whether a sufficient definition of women’s leadership is simply leadership by women or if the term and its weight necessitate leadership for women. Will the board’s final decision keep this American institution afloat? And, more importantly, what precedent will it set for women executives who face similar quandaries of identity? In Murky Waters The Miss America Pageant has long occupied a special place in the American psyche.
    [Show full text]
  • Bess Myerson Grant Chairman of Centennial Fund
    Bess Myerson Grant Chairman of Centennial Fund We are delighted to announce that Bess Myerson Grant has accepted the general chairmanship of our new Centennial Fund and th at President Meng will be honorary chairman. To plan for our Alumni gift for the College Centen­ nial in 1970, our Board of Directors voted almost a year ago to set up a steering committee to consider steps to be taken. Now the officers and directors of our Board and of our Scholarship and Welfare Board have drawn preliminary plans for the first annual joint appeal, this coming autumn, for the Centennial Fund. Our goal is to raise a new fund of $1,000,000 by 1970, as a Centennial gift for the College. President Meng's letter indicates how such a fund would have "a real and direct bearing upon the maintenance of educational ex­ cellence at Alma Mater." But aid to students must continue, as the Pres ident says. The second goal is therefore to double our pres­ ent Scholarship and Welfare Funds which are used to < help undergraduates, and to expand the new program of j Alumni scholarships for qualified high school seniors, ) who may not be able to look forward to coming to ) Hunter, without assurance of some schol arship aid. BESS MYERSON GRANT Our third goal is to set up a new fund to aid graduate students (who must pay tuition fees) , particularly those students who are required to take a full fifth year of study Bess Myerson Grant was graduated from Hunter in before bein g appointed in their fields.
    [Show full text]
  • Cassette Books, CMLS,P.O
    DOCUMENT RESUME ED 319 210 EC 230 900 TITLE Cassette ,looks. INSTITUTION Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. PUB DATE 8E) NOTE 422p. AVAILABLE FROMCassette Books, CMLS,P.O. Box 9150, M(tabourne, FL 32902-9150. PUB TYPE Reference Materials Directories/Catalogs (132) --- Reference Materials Bibliographies (131) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC17 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Adults; *Audiotape Recordings; *Blindness; Books; *Physical Disabilities; Secondary Education; *Talking Books ABSTRACT This catalog lists cassette books produced by the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped during 1989. Books are listed alphabetically within subject categories ander nonfiction and fiction headings. Nonfiction categories include: animals and wildlife, the arts, bestsellers, biography, blindness and physical handicaps, business andeconomics, career and job training, communication arts, consumerism, cooking and food, crime, diet and nutrition, education, government and politics, hobbies, humor, journalism and the media, literature, marriage and family, medicine and health, music, occult, philosophy, poetry, psychology, religion and inspiration, science and technology, social science, space, sports and recreation, stage and screen, traveland adventure, United States history, war, the West, women, and world history. Fiction categories includer adventure, bestsellers, classics, contemporary fiction, detective and mystery, espionage, family, fantasy, gothic, historical fiction,
    [Show full text]
  • Queen of the Maple Leaf Beauty Contests and Settler Femininity
    QUEEN OF THE MAPLE LEAF BEAUTY CONTESTS AND SETTLER FEMININITY Patrizia Gentile Sexuality Studies Series This series focuses on original, provocative, scholarly research examining from a range of perspectives the complexity of human sexual practice, iden- tity, community, and desire. Books in the series explore how sexuality inter- acts with other aspects of society, such as law, education, feminism, racial diversity, the family, policing, sport, government, religion, mass media, medicine, and employment. The series provides a broad public venue for nurturing debate, cultivating talent, and expanding knowledge of human sexual expression, past and present. Recent volumes in the series include: Reconsidering Radical Feminism: Affect and the Politics of Heterosexuality, by Jessica Joy Cameron A Queer Love Story: The Letters of Jane Rule and Rick Bébout, edited by Marilyn R. Schuster We Still Demand! Redefining Resistance in Sex and Gender Struggles, edited by Patrizia Gentile, Gary Kinsman, and L. Pauline Rankin The Nature of Masculinity: Critical Theory, New Materialisms, and Technologies of Embodiment, by Steve Garlick Making a Scene: Lesbians and Community across Canada, 1964–84, by Liz Millward Disrupting Queer Inclusion: Canadian Homonationalisms and the Politics of Belonging, edited by OmiSoore H. Dryden and Suzanne Lenon Fraught Intimacies: Non/Monogamy in the Public Sphere, by Nathan Rambukkana Religion and Sexuality: Diversity and the Limits of Tolerance, edited by Pamela Dickey Young, Heather Shipley, and Tracy J. Trothen The Man Who Invented Gender: Engaging the Ideas of John Money, by Terry Goldie For a complete list of the titles in the series, see the UBC Press website, www.ubcpress.ca/sexuality-studies.
    [Show full text]
  • Beauty Queens Crowned by Modern Jewish Print Media
    German Studies Faculty Publications German Studies 2013 Recognition for the ‘Beautiful Jewess’: Beauty Queens Crowned by Modern Jewish Print Media Kerry Wallach Gettysburg College Follow this and additional works at: https://cupola.gettysburg.edu/gerfac Part of the Film and Media Studies Commons, German Language and Literature Commons, and the History of Religions of Western Origin Commons Share feedback about the accessibility of this item. Recommended Citation Wallach, Kerry. “Recognition for the ‘Beautiful Jewess’: Beauty Queens Crowned by Modern Jewish Print Media.” In Globalizing Beauty: Consumerism and Body Aesthetics in the Twentieth Century, edited by Hartmut Berghoff and Thomas Kühne. New York: Palgrave Macmillan (2013): 131-150. This is the author's version of the work. This publication appears in Gettysburg College's institutional repository by permission of the copyright owner for personal use, not for redistribution. Cupola permanent link: https://cupola.gettysburg.edu/gerfac/21 This open access book chapter is brought to you by The Cupola: Scholarship at Gettysburg College. It has been accepted for inclusion by an authorized administrator of The Cupola. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Recognition for the ‘Beautiful Jewess’: Beauty Queens Crowned by Modern Jewish Print Media Abstract This chapter demonstrates how women’s bodies were appropriated (in times of adversity) to promote Jewishness and Jewish ethnic/racial body aesthetics in a variety of locations, including Europe (Germany, Poland, Hungary),
    [Show full text]
  • Accidents Don't Take a Vacation. Neither Do
    ACCIDENTS DON’T TAKE A VACATION. NEITHER DO WE. Our medical teams have been meeting the urgent care needs of southeastern New Jersey for more than 10 years—providing quality care, fast. Our board-certifi ed providers treat a variety of non-life-threatening illnesses and injuries—from fl u and asthma to broken bones and deep cuts. During the summer we offer even more access to AtlantiCare—opening up our Primary Care offi ces for walk-ins and providing after-hours care. We’re here to help you get back to your vacation sooner. Scan the QR code to save our contact information, so you can fi nd us when you need us. URGENT CARE CENTER Physician Group www.atlanticare.org/urgent • 1-888-569-1000 ATLAN 14186 Urgent Care print 8.25x10.75.indd 1 7/11/13 1:40 PM AUGUST 2013 The Return of STEP YOUR GAME UP... FOR 2014 ADVERTISING RATES CONTACT [email protected] DO BWJ FOR 2014 ADVERTISING RATES CONTACT [email protected] PROUDLY SERVING ATLANTIC CITY SINCE 2001 CRIMINAL ~ FAMILY ~ CIVIL ~ IMMIGRATION a full service litigation firm when results matter GREETINGS FROM ATLANTIC CITY The date was Friday July 26th. I had spent an entire day in Atlantic County Superior Court representing the wrongfully accused and I was rushing back to my office to wrap things up so that I could meet my wife and The Honorable Mr. and Mrs. Damon Tyner at The Knife and Fork around 6pm. The plan was to eat at the bar and make it to Boardwalk Hall by 8, so that we would have more than enough time to get situated before Beyoncé was scheduled to take the stage at 9.
    [Show full text]
  • Tina G. Patel
    For Milun and Nayan …the future of hope at its brightest TINA G. PATEL 00_Patel_Prelims.indd 3 6/28/2016 2:51:56 PM 2 CATEGORIZING RACE Introduction 13 Key terms 14 What is race? 14 The social construction of race 18 Does race really matter? 21 Case study: Online racism following Nina Davuluri’s crowning as Miss America 2014 26 Concluding thoughts 27 Main points 28 Study questions 28 Further reading 28 References 28 INTRODUCTION This chapter will provide a contextual background to the ways in which race has been so far categorized, namely in essentialized and (black–white) polarized ways. The limitations of this for contemporary analysis is then highlighted. After reading the chapter, the reader will be able to describe historical patterns of racial categorizations, and to appreciate the need for an updated social construc- tionist approach to studying the dynamics of race in contemporary society. The theory and concepts covered in the chapter include: Afro-centrism; Black power; black deviance; colonialism; critical criminology; essentialism; ethnocentrism; eurocentrism; scientific racism; and social constructionism. The case study in the chapter concerns the online racism following Nina Davuluri’s crowning as Miss America 2014. The key question raised in the chapter is: What are the key mark- ers of race in contemporary society, and how do they differ from the markers of previous generations? 02_Patel_Ch_02.indd 13 6/28/2016 2:31:11 PM 14 RACE AND SOCIETY KEY TERMS • Afro-centrism • Black deviance • Black power • Colonialism • Critical criminology • Discrimination • Eco-racism • Essentialism • Ethnocentrism • Eurocentrism • Prejudice • Racialization • Racism • Scientific racism • Social constructionism • Whiteness WHAT IS RACE? Race, as we understand it today, differs from the scientific typology concept adopted by the biologists of the last few centuries.
    [Show full text]
  • Miss America in Review
    Miss America In Review 1921...........Margaret Gorman, Washington, D.C. 1955 .............Lee Meriwether, San Francisco, Ca. 1922-23 ...........Mary Campbell, Columbus, Ohio 1956 ...............Sharon Ritchie, Denver, Colorado 1924 .............. Ruth Malcomson, Philadelphia, Pa. 1957 Marian McKnight, Manning, South Carolina 1925 ................ Fay Lanphier, Oakland, California 1958 .... Marilyn Van Derbur, Denver, Colorado 1926 .........Norma Smallwood, Tulsa, Oklahoma 1959 ...............Mary Ann Mobley, Brandon, Miss. 1927 ........................Lois Delander, Joliet, Illinois 1960 ................. Lynda Lee Mead, Natchez, Miss. 1933 ........ Marian Bergeron, West Haven, Conn. 1961 ........ Nancy Fleming, Montague, Michigan 1935 ................. Henrietta Leaver, Pittsburgh, Pa. 1962 . Maria Fletcher, Asheville, North Carolina 1936 .....................Rose Coyle, Philadelphia, Pa. 1963 ............... Jacquelyn Mayer, Sandusky, Ohio 1937 .............. Bette Cooper, Bertrand Island, N.J. 1964 .............Donna Axum, El Dorado, Arkansas 1938 ......................Marilyn Meseke, Marion, Ohio 1965.... Vonda Kay Van Dyke, Phoenix, Arizona 1939 ...........Patricia Donnelly, Detroit, Michigan 1966 . Deborah Irene Bryant, Overland Park, Kan. 1940 .... Frances Marie Burke, Philadelphia, Pa. 1967 .... Jane Anne Jayroe, Laverne, Oklahoma 1941 .... Rosemary LaPlanche, Los Angeles, Ca. 1968 ........ Debra Dene Barnes, Pittsburg, Kansas 1942 ............... Jo-Carroll Dennison, Tyler, Texas 1969 ...........Judith Anne Ford, Belvidere, Illinois
    [Show full text]
  • Social Stereotyping and Self-Esteem of Miss America Pageant Contestants Ebony Bowers Walden University
    Walden University ScholarWorks Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Collection 2016 Social Stereotyping and Self-Esteem of Miss America Pageant Contestants Ebony Bowers Walden University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations Part of the Women's Studies Commons This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Collection at ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Walden University College of Social and Behavioral Sciences This is to certify that the doctoral dissertation by Ebony Bowers has been found to be complete and satisfactory in all respects, and that any and all revisions required by the review committee have been made. Review Committee Dr. Barbara Benoliel, Committee Chairperson, Human Services Faculty Dr. Tina Jaeckle, Committee Member, Human Services Faculty Dr. Lilian Chenoweth, University Reviewer, Human Services Faculty Chief Academic Officer Eric Riedel, Ph.D. Walden University 2016 Abstract Social Stereotyping and Self-Esteem of Miss America Pageant Contestants by Ebony F. M. Bowers MS, Springfield College, 2009 BS, Springfield College, 2004 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Human Services Walden University October 2016 Abstract Miss America Pageant contestants (MAPCs) have been negatively stereotyped socially for their perceived lack of intelligence and nonconformance to feminist gender stereotypes of women. Stereotypes could affect an individual’s social psyche and establish stigma, which could prevent a group from achieving their full potential.
    [Show full text]
  • Religion, Miss America, and the Construction of Evangelical Womanhood
    Religion, Miss America, and the Construction of Evangelical Womanhood by Mandy Ellene McMichael Graduate Program in Religion Duke University Date: April 8, 2014 Approved: ___________________________ Grant Wacker, Supervisor ___________________________ Mark Chaves ___________________________ Randy L. Maddox ___________________________ Thomas A. Tweed ___________________________ Timothy B. Tyson Dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate Program in Religion in the Graduate School of Duke University 2014 ABSTRACT Religion, Miss America, and the Construction of Evangelical Womanhood by Mandy Ellene McMichael Graduate Program in Religion Duke University Date: April 8, 2014 Approved: ___________________________ Grant Wacker, Supervisor ___________________________ Mark Chaves ___________________________ Randy L. Maddox ___________________________ Thomas A. Tweed ___________________________ Timothy B. Tyson An abstract of a dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate Program in Religion in the Graduate School of Duke University 2014 Copyright by Mandy Ellene McMichael 2014 Abstract Christian engagement with beauty contests shifted dramatically between the initial Miss America pageant in 1921 and its 90 th anniversary in 2011. This dissertation explores how and why many Christians found the organization an institution worthy of partnership with the church. It examines three aspects of Christian involvement in the contest: the long history of beauty pageants, the persistent emphasis on individual physical attractiveness, and the idea of witness in southern evangelical culture. It argues that after 1965, at least two factors enabled the unlikely marriage of Christians and the Miss America Organization: the perceived threat of second-wave feminism and evangelicalism’s increasing desire to engage culture.
    [Show full text]