The 1996 Miss Universe telecast was seen by an estimated 600 million people in 60 countries around the world. Beauty Queens: A Playful History traces the evolution of the beauty pageant from its early days as a slightly scandalous display of feminine self-confidence to a much-mocked sexist spectacle to its recent return to tremendous international popularity.
How did this quirky custom manage to become such a major cultural institution? When and where did the idea originate? (P. T. Barnum seems at least partly responsible.) And why have so many women eagerly participated as both spectators and contestants? Emphasizing the glory years between 1920 and 1970, Candace Savage offers entertaining yet thought-provoking answer to these questions while having great fun exploring every aspect of the pageant's curious history. Anyone who has ever sniffled as the winner wept tears of joy will thoroughly enjoy this lighthearted tribute.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
. . . fun and informative . . . full of facts and tidbits, plus wonderful vintage photos of such quirkly contests as Miss Swim; the Fourth Annual Bathing Girl Review in Galveston, Texas, in 1923; Miss Perfection of 1938; 1945 Campus Queen in a Japanese Internment Camp in Texas; and Miss Nude World, 1971. -- Fresno Bee, 1/7/99
From the bathing beauties of the teens to the cheesecake era of the '40s Goldwyn Girls to the sequin-spangled Misses Universe of the '90s, Savage's lighthearted, well-illustrated book dives into the culture of these "pageants of pulchritude." -- Washington Post, 1/24/99
More than one hundred illustrations and photographs complement an entertaining history of the beauty pageant, from the 1850s to the present day, tracing the changing perspective on feminine beauty and its evolving role as a cultural institution. -- Forecast, 1/99
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1st edition. Beauty & the beauty pageant may be subjective but as Mae West quipped, It's better to be looked over than overlooked. Fine trade paperback book in decorative wrappers (soft cover book). Seller Inventory # 653928
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