The evening gowns, the bathing suits, the awkward interview questions… modern beauty pageants have been around since 1921, when Miss America first emerged. When Miss America began, it was seen merely as a “bathing beauty revue,” held simply as a way to attract tourists to Atlantic City, New Jersey. Later on, it became about more than just looks, and a talent and interview section were added.
Not too long after the Miss America competition’s inauguration, the rivaling Miss USA pageant followed, making its own, controversial debut in 1952: after a Miss America winner refused to pose in a swimsuit, the swimsuit competition sponsor got so angry they decided to pull their money from the Miss America scholarship program and start their own pageant. Each year, young women compete in each state for a spot in Miss USA, before continuing to compete with the representatives of other countries from around the world in the Miss Universe pageant.
The Miss USA winner gets to take home a crown, live in a luxury New York City apartment, a personal stylist, free travel opportunities and a cash prize. Of course, it is much more than just the cool stuff (which we admit is making us tempted to try out for the pageant ourselves). Bringing home the title of Miss USA is something that can help young women get their name out there and launch their career.
That said, we all are well-aware of the negative stereotypes included in beauty pageants (and come on, who hasn’t seen Miss Congeniality.) Both Miss USA and Miss America have certainly received their fair share of criticism over the years. And we can honestly see why, in this modern day and age, a woman getting judged on how well she prances around in a skimpy bathing suit can seem a bit wrong. However, women everywhere are still choosing to compete after all these years, and the broadcasted pageants still bring in over 7 million viewers. There have been many stunning women to win Miss USA over the years. While some have mostly been forgotten, some have remained much more memorable. The ladies on this list are all extraordinary, not just for their beauty, but for their charm, wit, strength and intelligence. Several of them went on to successful careers after their reign, after wielding their crown to their advantage.
They’re beauty, they’re grace, so go ahead, take a few minutes to see what some of Miss USA’s most memorable title winners are up to today.
[post_page_title]Ali Landry- Miss Louisiana 1996[/post_page_title]
Ali Landry represented Louisiana at the 1996 Miss USA pageant, where she won and took home the crown. Winning the title launched her acting career. She was quickly casted in series like Sunset Beach, the Clueless TV series and The Bold and the Beautiful throughout the late ’90s. In 1998, she starred in a popular Doritos Super Bowl commercial and was named by People magazine as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the World. A few years later, she landed a lead role as Rita in the drama series Eve.
