Abstract

Although it may appear that the Miss America Pageant is responsible for breaking down class barriers, the fact is that the pageant was always governed by upper-class patriarchal values of what constitutes the proper woman. . . . [it] fosters sexist practices, and exploits, commodities, and objectifies women and girls; consider the case of the murdered JonBenet Ramsey--who competed in children's beauty pageants at age six. If there is still any question in your mind about how deeply ingrained Miss American Beauty pageant values are, consider this: six-year-old JonBenet Ramsey was buried in one of her pageant outfits and a rhinestone tiara--the ultimate sleeping beauty.