Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Miss America Organization's board voted to postpone the 2021 pageant, interrupting a longstanding national tradition. In TIME, Hilary Levey Friedman explores the history of American pageants and disruption. "Time will tell if the pageant can again become a symbol of continuity, as it did when it returned in the 1930s, or if, like baby parades and better baby contests, COVID-19 brings more than a mere postponement to a 100-year-long tradition.
Department of Education
Date
September 4, 2020
There's No Miss America Pageant This Year. The Contest's History Suggests It Could Return Stronger Than Ever — Or Not
After the Miss America Organization's board voted to postpone the 2021 pageant due to the coronavirus, Visiting Assistant Professor Hilary Levey Friedman explores the history of pageants and what it could mean for Miss America's future.