Miss America

Miss America (2002)

DocumentaryTV Movie

Tracking the country’s oldest beauty contest—from its inception in 1921 as a local seaside pageant to its heyday as one of the country’s most popular events—Miss America paints a vivid picture of an institution that has come to reveal much about a changing nation. The pageant is about commercialism and sexual politics, about big business and small towns. But beyond the symbolism lies a human story—at once moving, inspiring, infuriating, funny, and poignant. Combining rare archival footage, with a host of intimate interviews with distinguished commentators including Gloria Steinem, Margaret Cho, Isaac Mizrahi, former contestants and behind–the–scenes footage and photographs, the film reveals why some women took part in the fledgling event and why others briefly rejected it - how the pageant became a battle ground and a barometer for the changing position of women in society.

Director: Lisa Ades

Casts

	Cherry Jones as Narrator
	Julia Álvarez as Self
	Sarah Banet-Weiser as Self
	Kimberly Clarice Aiken as Self
	Gloria Steinem as Self
	Ric Ferentz as Self
	Margaret Cho as Self
	William Goldman as Self
	Vicki Gold Levi as Self
	Leonard Horn as Self
	Lee Meriwether as Self
	Isaac Mizrahi as Self
	Mary Ann Mobley as Self
	Robin Morgan as Self
	Kathy Peiss as Self
	Tricia Rose as Self
	Kate Shindle as Self

Crew