Synopsis

A fresh exploration of American feminist history told through the lens of the beauty pageant world.

Many predicted that pageants would disappear by the 21st century. Yet they are thriving. America’s most enduring contest, Miss America, celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2020. Why do they persist? In Here She Is, Hilary Levey Friedman reveals the surprising ways pageants have been an empowering feminist tradition. She traces the role of pageants in many of the feminist movement’s signature achievements, including bringing women into the public sphere, helping them become leaders in business and politics, providing increased educational opportunities, and giving them a voice in the age of #MeToo.

Using her unique perspective as a NOW state president, daughter to Miss America 1970, sometimes pageant judge, and scholar, Friedman explores how pageants became so deeply embedded in American life from their origins as a P.T. Barnum spectacle at the birth of the suffrage movement, through Miss Universe’s bathing beauties to the talent- and achievement-based competitions of today. She looks at how pageantry has morphed into culture everywhere from The Bachelor and RuPaul’s Drag Race to cheer and specialized contests like those for children, Indigenous women, and contestants with disabilities. Friedman also acknowledges the damaging and unrealistic expectations pageants place on women in society and discusses the controversies, including Miss America’s ableist and racist history, Trump’s ownership of the Miss Universe Organization, and the death of child pageant-winner JonBenet Ramsey.

Presenting a more complex narrative than what’s been previously portrayed, Here She Is shows that as American women continue to evolve, so too will beauty pageants.

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Review

If you grew up watching the Miss America pageant, or even the Miss USA pageant, then this book might be of interest to you. The book is chock full of history about how the pageants came to be, their predecessors, and what has been achieved through the decades to improve the pageant and the women that participated. The pageant world is not without scandal or the whims of what men wanted or expected from such shows. But, as with most everything else, the pageants have improved and are not simply a beauty contest. They focus on real-world issues and the women have had to move along with the times to improve themselves and the society around them.

I vaguely recall the small town that I attended for high school having a pageant. I don’t know if the winner actually went on to compete in Miss Texas or not and since I know a past winner, I should ask her if she competed. I remember the fancy gowns and the talent portion from my attendance at the event and even though I was the same age as these women, I had no desire to be a part of this world. That didn’t stop me from enjoying watching it on television growing up, trying to guess who might be chosen, and being amazed at the talents these women possessed.

The author did a wonderful job of researching the book. There are many notations for where the information was gathered and you could spend hours just looking up the articles and other information. There are a few spots with incorrect information, some I noticed and others I learned from other reviews, but overall I thought the history was intriguing and never would have guessed that P.T Barnum had beauty contests as part of his show.

The book is not fast-paced due to the amount of information presented within its covers. But the look into feminism and how it got its start, women seeking something better, and even the #MeToo movement references are mind-boggling. I enjoyed all of the stories and how this all played into our history.

Overall we give this 3 1/2 paws and if you were ever in a pageant or just curious how it has progressed to what we have today, then this book will definitely fill in the gaps.

About the Author

Hilary Levey Friedman is the author of Here She Is: The Complicated Reign of the Beauty Pageant in America. She is a sociologist at Brown University, where she has taught a popular course titled “Beauty Pageants in American Society.” She is a leading researcher in pageantry, merging her mother’s past experiences as Miss America 1970 with her interests as a glitz- and glamour-loving sometimes pageant judge, and a mentor to Miss America 2018. Friedman also serves as the president of the Rhode Island chapter of the National Organization for Women. Her first book, Playing to Win, focused on children’s competitive afterschool activities.

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