Vanessa Williams Part 1: Becoming Miss America You're Wrong About

Mike tells Sarah how a 20-year-old singer, actress and French horn player became Miss America with less than six months of practice. Digressions include Ted Bundy, Stephen King’s “It” and a bonus debunking of the "bra-burning feminist" trope. We're sorry to say that this episode includes a description of child sexual abuse. 

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Clips! 
Opening musical numberVanessa introduces herselfTalent competitionSwimsuitVanessa wins!Links!
Sarah's Miss America piece!Vanessa and Helen’s memoir, “You Have No Idea”Margot Mifflin’s “Looking for Miss America”Vanessa Williams, Whitney Houston and Hollywood’s Misogynoir ProblemVanessa Williams: A Beauty Queen’s Crown of ThornsMiss America--The Inside StoryFirst Black Miss America Finds Unforeseen IssuesAin’t I a Beauty Queen?: Black Women, Beauty, and the Politics of Race Life with Daughters: Watching the Miss America Pageant'A Felony Just to Own': The Sleazy Story Behind Penthouse’s Most Controversial IssueThere She Goes, Miss AmericaMost Famous Miss America In History1989 People magazine articleIn Black and WhitePutting on a Happy FaceSupport the show