13. Miss America Introduced the Idealized Woman to the Masses
The Miss American Pageant began in the 1920’s, and it started out as a popularity contest for young women on the east coast of the United States. It was originally only advertised in the newspapers and on the radio in order to attract more people to Atlantic City at the end of summer vacation, but soon enough, the crowds kept growing and growing, and the expectations of what it takes to be Miss America became more difficult.
In the 1950’s, young girls were watching Miss America on TV for the first time and became influenced by the idea of the perfect woman. They started to add rules that disqualified many normal-looking women. Even though they originally had a rule banning professional models, it eventually became an event where every single girl on stage looked gorgeous enough to be a pro.