SAN FRANCISCO -- The Miss America Pageant may aim to represent the ideal of U.S. womanhood, but it's got its problems; it's about as internally conflicted as Al Gore trying to act like respects George W. Bush's intelligence.
Though it started in 1921 as a bathing suit competition staged by the Atlantic City chamber of commerce, it's been trying earnestly to shed its beauty pageant roots for decades.
Miss America is about scholarship, and community, and contribution and, well you name it, the last thing organizers want to talk about is beauty.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.