The pageant that changed American beauty
Everyone has heard of Miss USA, Miss America, and Miss Universe, but have you heard of Miss Black?
Happy Wednesday, sha!
Have you ever had dreams of being in a beauty pageant? I shamelessly did during the height of Toddlers and Tiaras. Chile, you couldn’t tell me I wasn’t going to be the next Little Miss Louisiana!
Although I grew up and my pageant dreams faded, my fascination with the pageant world did not. And, like everything else in America, of course racism played a role. The first Black Miss America, Vanessa Williams, was crowned in 1983—the pageant was founded 62 years earlier in 1921. The first Black Miss USA, Carole Gist, was crowned in 1990, 38 years after that pageant’s founding in 1952. The first Black Miss Universe, Janelle "Penny" Commissiong, was crowned in 1977, and that pageant was founded in 1952—25 years prior.
I see a problem here… and I’m not surprised. Are you?
In a world where Black women are so often placed at the bottom of the totem pole, Miss Black America solidified itself as a space for honoring and empowering Black beauty and Black women.
Something to think about before Sunday’s deep dive: What happens when Black women create their own spotlight instead of waiting for a seat at someone else's table?
