The Miss America pageant has extraordinarystaying power. Despitethecultural windsof the past century, Miss America continues to captivatethe nation,givingAmericawhat it wants mostasex, entertainment, competition, religion, and even self-discovery. In Miss America's God , Mandy McMichael traces the pageant's long and complicated history. She demonstratesthatthe pageantisa little exploredwindow into American culture, one that reveals a complex cocktail of allAmericans holddear. Ultimately,McMichaelcontends thatthe pageant isanunexpected cultural spaceofreligious expression and self-discovery for many contestants whose faith communities support and validatetheir pageant participation. Miss America's God utilizes feminist theory, women's history, sociology, psychology, ethnography, and religious studies to explain the enduring popularity of the pageant,as well as religion's curious embrace of its spectacle. Whilecontestants use the pageant tobuildfaith and identity, the pageant uses the faith of the contestants to remain relevant in a societythat isincreasingly suspicious of it. McMichael shows just how central religion has been to Miss America. Religion, for Miss America, sanctifies sex, ritualizes entertainment, justifies competition, and enables self-discovery. Religion makes Miss America acultural icon that withstands the test of time.

Book Information
ISBN 9781481311977
Author Mandy McMichael
Format Hardback
Page Count 261
Imprint Baylor University Press
Publisher Baylor University Press
Weight(grams) 554g