Miss America is an annual competition that is open to women from the
United States between the ages of 17 and 25. Originating in 1921 as a
"bathing beauty revue", the contest is now judged on competitors'
talent performances and interviews. As of 2018, there is no longer a
swimsuit portion to the contest, or consideration of physical
appearance. Miss America travels about 20,000 miles a month, changing
her location every 24 to 48 hours, touring the nation and promoting
her particular platform of interest. The winner is crowned by the
previous year's titleholder.The current Miss America is Camille
Schrier of Virginia, who was crowned on December 19, 2019.The current
Miss America is Camille Schrier of Virginia, who was crowned on
December 19, 2019.On February 1, 1919, there was a beauty pageant held
in the Chu Chin Chow Ball at the Hotel des Artistes in New York City.
The winner, Edith Hyde Robbins Macartney, was called "Miss America."
Neither the title nor this pageant were related to the current "Miss
America Pageant" which would develop a year later in Atlantic City,
New Jersey. Rather, the origins of the "Miss America Pageant" lie in
an event entitled The Fall Frolic which was held on September 25,
1920, in Atlantic City. This event was designed to bring business to
the Boardwalk: "three hundred and fifty gaily decorated rolling wicker
chairs were pushed along the parade route. Three hundred and fifty men
pushed the chairs. However, the main attractions were the young
'maidens' who sat in the rolling chairs, headed by a Miss Ernestine
Cremona, who was dressed in a flowing white robe and represented
'Peace.'"The event was so successful that The Businessmen's League
planned to repeat it the following year as a beauty pageant or a
"bather's revue" (to capitalize on the popularity of newspaper-based
beauty contests that used photo submissions). The event was scheduled
to take place the week-end following Labor Day, to encourage summer
visitors to stay in Atlantic City. Thus, "newspapers as far west as
Pittsburgh and as far south as Washington, D.C., were asked to sponsor
local beauty contests. The winners would participate in the Atlantic
City contest. If the local newspaper would pay for the winner's
wardrobe, the Atlantic City Businessmen's League would pay for the
contestant's travel to compete in the Inter-City Beauty Contest." Herb
Test, a "newspaperman", coined the term for the winner: "Miss
America." On September 8, 1921, 100,000 people gathered at the
Boardwalk to watch the contestants from Washington, D.C., Pittsburgh,
Harrisburg, Ocean City, Camden, Newark, New York, and Philadelphia.
The 16-year-old winner from Washington, D.C., Margaret Gorman, was
crowned the "Golden Mermaid" and won $100. Miss America Top Movies & Young Movies