Vanessa Williams Part 1: Becoming Miss America

Mike tells Sarah how a 20-year-old singer, actress and French horn player became Miss America with less than six months of practice. Digressions include Ted Bundy, Stephen King’s “It” and a bonus debunking of the "bra-burning feminist" trope. We're sorry to say that this episode includes a description of child sexual abuse. 

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Clips! Opening musical numberVanessa introduces herselfTalent competitionSwimsuitVanessa wins!Links!Sarah's Miss America piece!Vanessa and Helen’s memoir, “You Have No Idea”Margot Mifflin’s “Looking for Miss America”Vanessa Williams, Whitney Houston and Hollywood’s Misogynoir ProblemVanessa Williams: A Beauty Queen’s Crown of ThornsMiss America--The Inside StoryFirst Black Miss America Finds Unforeseen IssuesAin’t I a Beauty Queen?: Black Women, Beauty, and the Politics of Race Life with Daughters: Watching the Miss America Pageant'A Felony Just to Own': The Sleazy Story Behind Penthouse’s Most Controversial IssueThere She Goes, Miss AmericaMost Famous Miss America In History1989 People magazine articleIn Black and WhitePutting on a Happy FaceSupport the show