In The Great Gatsby both Daisy and Jordan are two of the most shallow women ever to be met. They place value only on things that are beautiful, or expensive, or hard to get. In the same way, the beginning of an American tradition in the Twenties was centered around the same principles.
In the Twenties, women were newly enfranchised and felt completely liberated. They celebrated their new freedom by smoking and drinking in public, shortening their skirts and hair, and practicing "free love." As sex became more and more casually spoken of, women became more and more obvious sex symbols.
In 1921, an American tradition was started in an effort to keep business in Atlantic City from plummeting immediately after Labor Day. To keep the tourists in the hotels and on the beaches after Labor Day, some hotel managers decided to hold a "National Beauty Tournament" contest to find the "most beautiful bathing beauty in America."
The pageant did not go over as well as the officials had hoped, however, as there were only eight contestants the first year. Margaret Gorman, a 16-year old representing Washington, D.C., was the first "Miss America," as a local newsman, Herb Test, called her. In 1922, Mary Katherine Campbell from Ohio won. After winning in 1923 as well, officials instituted a rule against repeat winners. By 1923, the annual contest had gained such popularity and recognition that over 70 contestants arrived from as far away as Canada.
Page last updated on March 11, 1999.
Curator: Sandra Phillips