Miss America, like Barbie, can be anything she wants.
She can be a dancer, a composer, or even a scientist, as is the winner of this year’s competition. Camille Schrier, a biochemist from Virginia, told judges that “we need to show that Miss America can be a scientist and that a scientist can be Miss America.”
But even as the beauty pageant gets more liberal, there’s one vocation Miss America can’t choose.
She can’t be a mom.
According to pageant rules, there is no Mrs. America, and you’ll never see a contestant with a baby bump. It’s unclear where the pageant stands on abortion — “We do not ask,” a spokesperson said — but it also bans divorcees, despite a proposed rule change to the contrary in 1999.
Following criticism ranging from sexism to lack of diversity, beauty pageants have been scrambling to grow more liberal over the past few years. Last year, Miss Universe had its first transgender contestant, and this year, it had its first black winner in eight years. In order to focus the contest away from sex appeal, Miss America has replaced the swimsuit and evening gown competitions with more Q&As.
The pageant will celebrate women of more diverse backgrounds, but it still shows no love to moms and married women. It’s Miss America, not “Mrs. America,” after all, but the pageant’s antiquated rule against marriage and children chafes against its liberal aspirations. Even a writer at Vice called out this double standard, saying, “Even though the Miss America pageant has tried to adapt to modern sensibilities, emphasizing ‘female empowerment,’ it remains committed to an antiquated ideal of femininity.”
The lingering ban on marriage and motherhood reminds us that no matter how liberal Miss America gets, it will always have the wrong priorities. Why does Miss America have a problem with marriage and children? Because the pageant really is all about looking pretty, and a baby bump just doesn’t fit the aesthetic.
