Do little girls now of six and seven dream of being Miss America? Or do they dream of replacing Bill Gates? I have no idea.
-- William Goldman

The Miss America pageant started out rating contestants solely by their looks. Today, a complicated formula of beauty, talent, poise and social activism determines who will wear the crown.

The ideal Miss America has changed through the years. But has this ideal related to the lives of other American women? Step through eight decades... and follow the changing ideal.

The Changing Ideal (344k)
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