Miss America Meets Feminism

Guest: Margot Mifflin, Professor of English at the City University of New York, and author of "Looking for Miss America: A Pageant’s 100-Year Quest to Define Womanhood"

Margot Mifflin describes Miss America as an organization that is “in constant dialogue with feminism, though rarely in step with it.” The beauty pageant that began in 1921 has survived second-wave feminism and the #metoo movement, but it’s seen some dramatic changes and challenges. It's so close to its 100th anniversary . . .  Will it make it? 

You can find more of Margot Mifflin's publications here.

 

The Debutante Tradition Thrives 

Guest: Kristen Richardson, author of "The Season: A Social History of the Debutante"

Debutante culture emerged when Henry VIII split from the Catholic church, and the nobility could no longer send their "excess" daughters to convents. The practice seems antiquated today, but the tradition of debutante balls is alive and well (or it was before the pandemic). What's the point when young women have so many options for career and marriage partners? The answer involves geopolitics, business, and personal ambition.