BRIAN JONES / Las Vegas News
Elwood Watson and Darcy Martinvare professors of historyvand women's studies, respectively, at East Tennessee State University
Over the last few years, the Miss America Pageant has remade its image many times over in an effort to regain the kind of popularity it enjoyed in the mid-20th century. This year's edition culminated last weekend after following contestants for weeks in a "countdown" special that mimicked popular reality shows.
The pageant has survived a series of threats to its existence, including the Great Depression, World War II, the modern women's movement, and the Vanessa Williams/Penthouse magazine scandal. Unfortunately, though, its recent efforts to become culturally relevant to 21st-century America have done no more than provide ammunition to critics (and there are a number) who charge that the pageant is an outmoded relic resorting to desperate attempts to survive.
In 2006, the pageant changed networks from ABC to Country Music Television and moved its broadcast date from two weeks after Labor Day to late January. CMT moved the pageant westward from Atlantic City to Las Vegas and then dropped it after two years. The pageant signed with TLC in 2007.
In its attempts to become relevant again, the pageant also has added all sorts of gimmicks, such as a Miss America Quiz, a "contemporary activewear" segment that was reminiscent of a Gap commercial, runner-up contestants from ABC's The Bachelor and American Idol, and other reality-show antics. By 2005, the pageant had discontinued the quiz and activewear segments.
This year, the pageant aired its latest effort to "modernize" with the three-week special Miss America: Countdown to the Crown. This program put contestants in pairs to engage in gossip, chatter, and, in a few cases, derogatory comments about one another.
There have been a few admirable additions to the pageant during the last two decades, such as encouraging each winner to have a public-service platform during her reign and beyond it. The pageant also has sought out a more diverse pool of contestants.
But the pageant has regressed on a number of fronts, the most notable being the talent segment. Since the late 1990s, the talent portion of the pageant has shrunk to the point that it counts for only 30 percent of the contestants' scores. Rumor had it that the mediocre talents of the 2004 contestants prompted pageant officials to have only the top two compete for the crown at the end of the program.
We would argue that the talent segment of the pageant is among its most crucial elements. It is the vital ingredient that has distinguished the Miss America Pageant from its competitors and imitators, such as Miss USA, Miss Universe, Miss Teen USA, etc.
Although the swimsuit competition may be more popular, the talent competition is the force that affords the pageant real legitimacy. Despite the claims of some detractors, the fact remains that, throughout the pageant's long history, contestants have displayed considerable talent in a variety of fields.
The pageant has featured a number of memorable performances. Many pageant watchers remember the sultry version of "Happy Days Are Here Again" sung by Vanessa Williams, who became the first black woman to win the crown in 1984. Or there was Miss America 1993 Leanza Cornett's show-stopping version of "A New Life." In 1995, Heather Whitestone - the first hearing-impaired Miss America - performed a flawless dance to "Via Dolorosa," a song she was unable to hear. This was great television.
By refocusing its efforts on enhancing the talent competition, the pageant can reclaim and maintain its distinctiveness as an enduring icon.
The Miss America Pageant was "reality television" before the genre existed. Now it must decide what it is going to be - a question it has struggled with in recent years. One thing is certain, though: Going the tawdry, sordid and garish route of modern reality programming will only speed the pageant's path into oblivion.
http://www.philly.com/
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