Looking for Miss America: A Pageant's 100-Year Quest to Define Womanhood

Looking for Miss America is a captivating narrative history of an iconic institution that has been shaping American culture for nearly a century.

Margot Mifflin's meticulously researched book delves into the pageant's evolution, highlighting memorable contestants, protests, and scandals while also exploring the broader social changes that have influenced its development.

From Yolande Betbeze to Vanessa Williams, the book shines a spotlight on the women who have defied expectations and used the pageant as a platform for empowerment. With a focus on the pageant's complex history of exclusion and inclusion, Looking for Miss America offers a nuanced understanding of the cultural mythology that has fueled this American ritual.

Vigorously researched and engagingly written, this book is a must-read for anyone interested in the evolution of feminism, popular culture, or American history.