History of Mrs. America:
Mrs. America owes much of its present day popularity to its rich history and tradition.
The pageant dates its origin to the year 1938, when the first Mrs. America competition
was held at Palisades Amusement Park in New Jersey. For the next thirty years, Mrs.
America devoted itself to a national search for the ideal homemaker, and became an
American institution. The original contest was not considered a beauty pageant but a
competition of homemaking skills, including table setting, arrangements, laundry, bed
making and cooking, as well as managing the family budget, personality, hairstyle,
make-up and formal dress. The pageant was discontinued after 1968, during a period
when the theme of wife and homemaker was subject to changing social mores. But in
1977, after an absence of nearly a decade, the pageant was revived under a new and
more modern format. The man responsible for the renaissance of Mrs. America was
David Marmel, an independent television producer.
What does the Mrs. America Pageant represent? Now celebrating its 30th year in its
modern format,the Mrs. America Pageant is the only nationally televised pageant for
married women. It focuses the attention of the nation and the world on the versatility
of the contemporary American married woman. Each of the 51 Mrs. America
candidates earns the right to participate in the national event by winning her statewide
competition. These state pageants are under the direction of Mrs. America State
Directors, a network of respected and talented community and business leaders
reflecting one of the finest pageant systems in the world.
What does the Mrs. America title stand for? The winner of the Mrs. America crown
receives cash, prizes and endless opportunities. During her exciting and memorable
reign, she will make personal appearances throughout the country. For the entire year
she acts as the ambassador and spokesperson for America’s married women. She
speaks to civic groups and business organizations, appears in print and television
commercials, and conducts countless interviews with members of the press. She
becomes, in effect, the public symbol of all wives and mothers.
Mrs. America owes much of its present day popularity to its rich history and tradition.
The pageant dates its origin to the year 1938, when the first Mrs. America competition
was held at Palisades Amusement Park in New Jersey. For the next thirty years, Mrs.
America devoted itself to a national search for the ideal homemaker, and became an
American institution. The original contest was not considered a beauty pageant but a
competition of homemaking skills, including table setting, arrangements, laundry, bed
making and cooking, as well as managing the family budget, personality, hairstyle,
make-up and formal dress. The pageant was discontinued after 1968, during a period
when the theme of wife and homemaker was subject to changing social mores. But in
1977, after an absence of nearly a decade, the pageant was revived under a new and
more modern format. The man responsible for the renaissance of Mrs. America was
David Marmel, an independent television producer.
What does the Mrs. America Pageant represent? Now celebrating its 30th year in its
modern format,the Mrs. America Pageant is the only nationally televised pageant for
married women. It focuses the attention of the nation and the world on the versatility
of the contemporary American married woman. Each of the 51 Mrs. America
candidates earns the right to participate in the national event by winning her statewide
competition. These state pageants are under the direction of Mrs. America State
Directors, a network of respected and talented community and business leaders
reflecting one of the finest pageant systems in the world.
What does the Mrs. America title stand for? The winner of the Mrs. America crown
receives cash, prizes and endless opportunities. During her exciting and memorable
reign, she will make personal appearances throughout the country. For the entire year
she acts as the ambassador and spokesperson for America’s married women. She
speaks to civic groups and business organizations, appears in print and television
commercials, and conducts countless interviews with members of the press. She
becomes, in effect, the public symbol of all wives and mothers.
| Kelly McBee Mrs. America 2008 |
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