Pageant History· 1970s

The History of Pageants: 1970s

Race, Feminist Protests and the Evolution of Pageants

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1970

In an important racial milestone, Cheryl Browne, win the Miss Iowa title and becomes the first African-American woman to compete in the Miss America Pageant. Although she fails to make the semifinals, her achievement paves the way for the selection of the first black Miss America.

1970

In protest of the 1970 Miss World Pageant, protesters hurled tomatoes, stink bombs and flour bombs inside Royal Albert Hall where the pageant was being held, charging that such events were a symbol of the oppression and exploitation of women.  Police arrested a number of protestors.

1970

In 1970, when the Miss America Pageant celebrated its 50th anniversary, officials ordered a specially-manufactured golden crown. During the telecast, as Phyllis George, Miss Texas, was crowned that year's winner and took her victory walk, the crown crashed to the floor, splattering rhinestones along the runway.

Phyllis George goes on to become the first female national sportscaster in the male-dominated television sports industry.

1971

The Miss National Teen-Ager Pageant is founded in Atlanta as a scholarship pageant for girls. Sharon McLarty of Mississippi wins.

1973

The Miss Universe pageant is broadcast live worldwide via satellite for the first time. The beautiful broadcast from the Parthenon in Athens, Greece begins a tradition of televising Universe Pageants from exotic locales around the globe.

1973

Marjorie Wallace, the first American to be named Miss World, is stripped of her title after rumors of affairs with a string of famous bachelors. Philippine First Lady, Imelda Marcos spares no expense to host the Miss Universe Pageant, only to have the event threatened by an approaching typhoon. Marcos calls in the military to seed monsoon clouds in an effort to diffuse the storm. Amparo Munoz, Miss Spain, wins the crown.

1973

Rebecca King, Miss Colorado 1973, is named Miss America 1974. She raises eyebrows when onlookers note that she does not cry when she is crowned.  The more serious miss then creates a stir when she admits she is a feminist and entered the pageant to earn scholarship money for law school. She goes on to earn her law degree and becomes a successful attorney in Denver.

1974

Feminists return to Atlantic City where they stage a feminist conference and protest the Miss America Pageant. Oddly, that year, the pageants two most accomplished winners share the spotlight--Rebecca King, the no-nonsense 1973 titleholder who tells reporters she entered to earn money for law school, and her successor, Shirley Cothran (1974), a master's degree recipient who later earns her doctorate.

1974

Another scandal rocks the pageant world when the new Miss World, Helen Morgan of Wales, is forced to resign when the media reveals that she is an unwed mother who has been named as the other woman in a divorce case.

1975

The children's pageant system, Our Little Miss, has a banner year, when five of the seven girls selected from a major nationwide search to star in Disney's new TV program Mickey Mouse Club are past Our Little Miss contestants.*

1976

The Miss United Teenager Pageant is started. The Cinderella Pageant begins, quickly becoming a leading children's scholarship pageant.

1977

The Miss Teen All America Pageant is started.

1978

David Marmel purchases the defunct Mrs. America Pageant. He revamps the cooking and sewing contest for homemakers into a glamorous televised beauty pageant for married women.

1977

In a major racial breakthrough, Janelle Commissiong of Trinidad-Tobago, becomes the first black woman to win the coveted Miss Universe title. The historic moment is televised live by satellite from the Dominican Republic.

1978

In a surreal moment in pageant history, the first black Miss Universe, Janelle Commissiong, crowns her successor, Margaret Gardiner, a white Miss South Africa.

1979

Moments after the credits roll for the 1979 Miss Universe Pageant in Australia, the stage collapses as 200 reporters and contestants rush forward to congratulate the winner, Maritza Sayalero, of Venezuela. Eight contestants plunge through the stage floor to the concrete beneath and Miss Malta and Miss Turkey are hospitalized for minor injuries after rescue workers pull them from the debris.

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