Miss America ‘68, women’s lib, and the politics of beauty

What you'll learn

• 1 (00:00) **Introduction: The Myth of the Bra-Burning Feminist** - Host Tanya Mosley introduces the episode, explaining that the iconic 1968 Miss America protest where feminists allegedly burned their bras is a myth invented by newspapers before the protest even happened.
• 2 (03:10) **How the Press Created the "Bra Burner"** - McAllier explains that a throwaway comment from an activist about possibly burning bras was seized by newsrooms and turned into a national headline before the protest occurred.
• 3 (04:47) **The Three Factions on the Boardwalk** - McAllier describes the three distinct groups of women who confronted each other that night in 1968.
• 4 (06:13) **What Miss America Meant in 1968** - McAllier traces the pageant's history from a 1921 marketing device to a post-WWII symbol of patriotism and idealized white womanhood.
• 5 (10:35) **Why Tell the Full Story of 1968?** - McAllier explains her decision to expand beyond the single protest to show how the myth of the bra burner erased a more complex and politically significant history.
• 6 (12:41) **The Fracture at the Movement's Foundation** - McAllier describes her personal shock at learning, in 2009, that the Miss Black America pageant happened the same day as the feminist protest.
• 7 (14:24) **Donald Trump's Path Through Beauty Pageants** - McAllier connects the 1968 protest to Donald Trump's rise, noting his entry into pageant culture began with his Atlantic City casinos in the 1980s.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app