The very first Miss America pageant took place in 1921 — here's what it was like

Gabbi ShawSep 12, 2020, 20:23 IST

The first Miss America in 1921.Hulton Archive/Getty Images

The first Miss America pageant was held on September 8, 1921. It originally started as a way to keep tourists in Atlantic City after Labor Day.
It's now a huge organization that prides itself on handing out scholarships.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, this year's pageant was pushed back until December 2021.

While this year's Miss America was pushed back to December 2021, the competition has traditionally been held the weekend after Labor Day, commonly signaling the end of summer and beginning of fall.

Miss America first took place in 1921. Designed to attract tourists to Atlantic City, New Jersey, there weren't many rules (yet) — in fact, winners were partially judged on applause. Back then, only a handful of women participated, but the pageant grew quickly. In the almost 100 years since, it has become a huge organization that provides scholarships to women, and encourages female empowerment.

The Miss America pageants of the '20s are a far cry from what they are today. Keep scrolling to see what some of the very first Miss America pageants looked like, from funny costumes to modest swimwear.

The first Miss America pageant took place on September 8, 1921.

Contestants in the first Miss America pageant line up for the judges in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in September 1921. AP Images

It was held on the Atlantic City Boardwalk and started as a way to keep tourists around after Labor Day.

Neptune & Miss America at the Atlantic City Festival circa 1922. Buyenlarge/Getty Images

Thousands of people came to see the spectacle.

Miss America beauty contestants on Atlantic City's seafront in 1921 for the Miss America Beauty Pageant. AP Images

It actually started out as two pageants: the Inter-City Beauty Contest and a Bather's Revue.

Miss America contestants posing for a photograph. Bettmann/Getty Images

The Inter-City Beauty Contest received over 1,000 entries from around the US in the form of photographs.

1922's Miss America, Mary Katherine Campbell. Bettmann/Getty Images

Of those entries, six were chosen to represent their city, known as "key cities." These women officially competed in the Inter-City Beauty Contest on the boardwalk.

Mary Dague as Miss Wheeling, Dorothy Haupt as Miss Easton, Helen Lynch as Miss Fall River, Ellen E. Sherr as Miss Allentown, Paula E. Spoettle as Miss Bridgeport, and Miss Margaret Gorman as Miss America. Bettmann/Getty Images

The winner was based partly on applause, and partly on the judges' decisions.

View of five of the contestants in the Miss America contest as they walk along the beach, Atlantic City, New Jersey, July 1924. Underwood Archives/Getty Images

The first winner was Miss Washington, D.C., Margaret Gorman.

Margaret Gorman. Bettmann/Getty Images

Gorman then entered the Bather's Revue, which was composed of the Inter-City contestants and professional models.

Neptune and Miss America in the parade. Bettmann/Getty Images

Gorman won that too, and took home the Golden Mermaid trophy.

Mayor Edward L. Bader hands the key to the city to the first crowned Miss America, Margaret Gorman, in Atlantic City. Bettmann/Getty Images

Gorman entered the contest again the next year, but since the title of Washington, DC, had already gone to a new representative, they had to come up with something new: She was allowed to compete as Miss America, and the title was born.

Margaret Gorman from Washington D.C. smiles, wearing a large Statue of Liberty crown and a striped cape, as the first Miss America, Atlantic City, New Jersey. Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Gorman entered the contest again the next year, but since the title of Washington, DC, had already gone to a new representative, they had to come up with something new: She was allowed to compete as Miss America, and the title was born.

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The very first Miss America pageant took place in 1921 — here's what it was like

The first Miss America pageant took place on September 8, 1921.

It was held on the Atlantic City Boardwalk and started as a way to keep tourists around after Labor Day.

Thousands of people came to see the spectacle.

It actually started out as two pageants: the Inter-City Beauty Contest and a Bather's Revue.

The Inter-City Beauty Contest received over 1,000 entries from around the US in the form of photographs.

Of those entries, six were chosen to represent their city, known as "key cities." These women officially competed in the Inter-City Beauty Contest on the boardwalk.

The winner was based partly on applause, and partly on the judges' decisions.

The first winner was Miss Washington, D.C., Margaret Gorman.

Gorman then entered the Bather's Revue, which was composed of the Inter-City contestants and professional models.

Gorman won that too, and took home the Golden Mermaid trophy.

Gorman entered the contest again the next year, but since the title of Washington, DC, had already gone to a new representative, they had to come up with something new: She was allowed to compete as Miss America, and the title was born.