A bunch of women line up wearing next-to-nothing in hopes of impressing a batch of strangers who are grading them on everything from the way they look to the way they think. The woman with the highest score gets to be called, "Miss America," and wears a crown - and the title - for the rest of her life. The history behind that process, and how it became a cultural icon is as fascinating as it is filled with twists and turns. In this episode, Amy Argetsinger from the Washington Post drops by to chat about her new book, "There She Was: The Secret History of Miss America." She explains how the women who get to be called, "Miss America" are the ones who saved the pageant from ruin as it endured America's various awakenings, including, racial, feminism and the, "Me Too," movement. To understand "Miss America" is to understand America.

Amy Argetsinger is on social media at twitter.com/amyargetsinger

Her website is amyargetsinger.com

Her Washington Post page is at https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/amy-argetsinger/

The book is available from Simon and Schuster at https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/There-She-Was/Amy-Argetsinger/9781982123390

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