Miss America missing in action as century celebration begins

At the start of the 100th year of Atlantic City’s world famous Miss America Pageant, what was once the nation’s most popular annual televised event is barely hanging on.

Taken over a few years ago by activists who disapproved of this and any pageant, it’s now a business-like competition. Women try to show they are as focused on fighting sexism as Miss America’s new masters.

Ratings plunged. What a surprise — there is less audience for a forced moral crusade than a fun look at the variety of young American women.

Whether the former pageant — arrogantly rebranded by newcomers ignorant of its history and value as “Miss America 2.0” — would even find the support needed to have an event this year was in question. Then the pandemic came along and the organization put everything off until 2021.

The organization says it is working on a plan for next year, but that’s not what the 1984 Miss America who grew up in Mays Landing is seeing. “From what I’ve heard, there is not a plan,” said Suzette Charles. She’s very disappointed that there has been nothing so far to commemorate the 100th anniversary.

Normally, the current Miss America maintains a high profile throughout her reign, promoting the pageant and its scholarship help for women. Charles wonders where Miss America has been. “We don’t know what she has been doing, where she is, what she has done with her platform.”

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The organization says that Camille Schrier — whose onstage talent that helped her win was performing the “catalytic decomposition of hydrogen peroxide” — is promoting her social impact initiative, “Mind Your Meds: Drug Safety and Abuse Prevention from Pediatrics to Geriatrics.”

Charles said there should be more updates about Schrier’s activities and how she and the organization are responding to the needs of women arising from the pandemic.

David Holtzman, the executive director and president of Miss New Jersey, said state pageant organizations — which were the backbone of Miss America until it was taken over — are providing input to its controlling executives. And Absecon’s Barbara J. Moore, who’s on the Miss America Organization Board of Trustees, said she would love to see Miss America come home to Atlantic City and thinks that’s still a possibility.

Not only did the city host the pageant for a century, until its hostile takeover the state provided more than $3 million a year to support it. As we’ve said before, the much-diminished event will have to show it has enough of an audience to deserve local support again.

One way or another, this 100th year for Miss America will provide a reckoning.

https://pressofatlanticcity.com/opinion/editorials/miss-america-missing-in-action-as-century-celebration-begins/article_c996f6e1-2533-5a09-838e-803260ca4fa6.html