An editor for The Washington Post's Style section offers a look back on the Miss America pageant as it approaches its 100th anniversary, spotlighting how it has survived decades of social and cultural change and redefined itself alongside evolving ideas of feminism. For all of its pomp and kitsch, the Miss America pageant is indelibly written into the American story of the past century. From its origins as a summer's-end tourist draw, it blossomed into a televised extravaganza and was once considered the highest honor that a young woman could achieve. Argetsinger spotlights how the pageant survived decades of social and cultural change, collided with a women's liberation movement that sought to abolish it, and redefined itself alongside evolving ideas about feminism. In doing so, she charts the evolution of the American woman, dissects the scandals and financial turmoil that have repeatedly threatened to kill the pageant-- and highlights the unexpected sisterhood of Miss Americas fighting to keep it alive. -- adapted from jacket

Author's note -- Prologue -- "Somewhere out there is what you want to do" -- "It's like a performance of femininity" : becoming Miss America : October 2018 -- "Something electric in the room" : 1980 -- "They can exploit me any day" : 1970s -- "Until there is nothing more to win" : becoming Miss America : January 2019 -- "It couldn't just be a beauty contest" : 1921 -- "Miss New York is going to win" : 1983 -- "You cannot let down for a second." : becoming Miss America : June 2019 -- "Do you think I'm the first woman to have an interest?" : 1991 -- "I wanted to be a little out of the box" : becoming Miss America : November 2019 -- "Everyone wanted something from me that I couldn't give them." : 2007 -- "You don't leverage the Godfather" : 2017 -- "That title isn't going to win everything" : 2018 -- "There she is..." : becoming Miss America : December 2019 -- Epilogue.