Secrets of Miss America

Episode 2

Bye Bye Bikini

Since the 1960s, the swimsuit has been a thorn in the pageant's side, but a thorn that kept millions of viewers tuning in year after year. In 2018 the pageant took the drastic decision to ban the swimsuit round from the competition, causing a divide between modernizers and traditionalists which ends in an all-out war that has the potential to bring end Miss America.

Episode 3

For All America

The Miss America Organization today claims to be open to women of all races, backgrounds and body shapes, and 2019 saw women of color win a clean sweep of top beauty pageants for the first time. But there has never been a Latina winner, and the experiences of African American women competing in Miss America have been fraught with challenges. Has the pageant's racist past really gone away?

Episode 4

Under Pressure

With recent tragedies in the pageant community, the issue of mental health in the Miss America competition has been brought into sharper focus. The modern-day Miss Americas are expected to face the judgements of the past while carrying the weight of current expectations.