Saturday, August 05, 2006

Beauty queens A mirror of the times


By Samantha Critchell Associated Press


When you see a beauty pageant, you might see eye candy in bathing suits and high heels.

When Elissa Stein looks at a beauty pageant, she sees a bit more: a snapshot of a nation's young women, their thoughts, interests and ideals.

Stein, who has written books on prom queens and cheerleaders, looks back at the history of beauty and scholarship pageants in her new book "Beauty Queen: Here She Comes" (Chronicle, $16), assembling photos, brief bits of history and words of wisdom, such as how to pack for a pageant.

Her interest in beauty queens began when she was a child growing up in Long Island in the 1970s.

"Miss America was like the Super Bowl on TV," she said. "I always rooted for Miss New York. I'd sit there and watch. The dresses were clouds of chiffon and everyone had amazing hair."

But aside from the glamour, Stein found an inspiring message.

"Being a beauty queen was attainable dream for little girls. Watching it (Miss America) said, `You can do it, too. She came from a small town just like you!"'

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