18-year-old Philadelphia resident Ruth Malcomson went down in U.S. history as Miss America 1924. She defeated the contestant Mary Katherine Campbell. The latter had been competing for the title of the country’s first beauty for two years in a row. Ruth Malcomson was also known for refusing to compete for the prestigious title in 1925. Read about the peculiarities of the grand traditional national competition and the main priorities of the Philadelphia beauty in our article. Learn more at philadelphianka.
From Atlantic City Beauty to Miss America
In the first years after its founding, in 1921, the national beauty pageant Miss America was called the Atlantic City Beauty Pageant. Its winner was named the Golden Mermaid. Similar regional contests have long existed in the United States. But there has never been one on such a large scale. Initially, the idea of a competition between beauties from different states and selecting the most beautiful girl in the U.S. was conceived by several enterprising Atlantic City residents. Their main goal in 1921 was to attract as many tourists as possible to the main seaside resort on the East Coast. Among other things, it was decided that the contestants should parade in bathing suits. Therefore, it was fitting that one of the event’s sponsors was The Bather’s Review, a popular magazine for beach lovers. After the contestants appeared in public in swimsuits, the competition was called a revolutionary challenge. It was the worldwide debut of naked female bodies. Since then, the perception of society seems to have changed. The swimsuit defile has become the favorite part of the competition program for many viewers. The first winner in the contest’s history was a 16-year-old from Washington, D.C., Margaret Gorman. The daughter of an official of the Department of Agriculture received the highest title and a golden mermaid statuette worth USD 1,500. The following year, the contest was renamed Miss America.
Left behind the ambitious twice Miss
Miss America 24 became a landmark for Philadelphia representative Ruth Malcomson. It was the fourth Miss America pageant in a row. The contest was held on Saturday, September 6, at the Million Dollar Pier in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Twice in the history of the Miss America beauty pageant (in 1922 and 1923), it was won by the same person, Mary Katherine Campbell. She decided to do it for the third time. But this time, the winner of Miss America 24 was Miss Philadelphia 1924 Ruth Malcomson. She beat 83 competitors. This was the largest historical number of participants in this contest. Ruth Malcomson defeated two-time titleholder Mary Katherine Campbell after a lengthy jury deliberation. Mary was named First Vice Miss. Malcomson prevented Campbell from winning her third consecutive crown. By the way, the second place winner Fay Lanphier became Miss America in 1925. This time, Ruth refused to defend her title. She planned to start filming in Hollywood. She believed that she deserved to choose a longer “distance” to gain fame. After that, the contest organizers changed its rules. The same participant was allowed to be crowned and participate in the contest only once in its history.
Advice from the Beauty to Future Contestants
At the time of the contest, Ruth was 18 years old. After her triumph, articles appeared where the titleholder shared 10 of her rules and recommendations on how to become as beautiful as her. It sounded something like this: wake up early, have a good breakfast, exercise, don’t drink alcohol, smoking is harmful, walk in the fresh air, eat a light lunch, have a hearty dinner, go to bed early and sleep…
Contemporaries often remark on the imperfect hairstyle of the titled Philadelphia woman. But they usually add that her beauty was indeed completely natural and virginal. This is perfectly conveyed in the black-and-white photo without any Photoshop.
The press wrote about Ruth’s refusal to participate in further competitions for a long time. At the time, Miss America was visiting hospitals, schools, nursing homes and other important public places in her native Philadelphia. She got the movie role she wanted. After that, Ruth worked in a photography studio. During the Second World War, Ruth Malcomson volunteered for the American Red Cross and the Youth Red Cross. She was later honored for this. Ruth later got married and settled somewhere in Delaware County. The beauty noted that she was happy to enjoy a quiet life. A simple life suited her.
In 1974, Ruth Malcomson made another appearance at the Miss America pageant. This time as a guest on the 50th anniversary of her victory. Ruth Malcomson died in 1988, at the age of 82. She is buried at Arlington Cemetery in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania. Interestingly, her niece, Lorna Malcomson Ringler, won the title of Miss Pennsylvania in 1956. Her grandniece, Jodi Meade Graham, became Miss Delaware 1981.
A Brief History of the Competition
Year after year, the contest became more and more popular. The prizes became more substantial. But the requirements for the participants also increased. For a long time, the contestants’ example was supposed to be a model of chastity for the country’s women. As part of the contractual advertising year, the winners were not supposed to appear in dubious places, in establishments and at events with a bad reputation. These included places where alcohol was consumed. By the way, from 1920 to 1933, the United States had Prohibition. The girls were closely monitored. Violation of the rules could lead to deprivation of prizes and termination of contracts.
Until 1945, the jury primarily assessed contestants’ physical qualities. The most points were awarded for a beautiful face, somewhat less for the eyes, hands, waist, legs and breasts. The latter were evaluated separately. Hair, grace, etc. were considered as well.
Over time, the beauty criteria were expanded. Since 1951, they have also taken into account the timbre of the voice, erudition and general culture (including language skills). Character traits, charm, ability to present oneself and one’s own talents, general health, taste in clothing and sense of humor also counted. Starting from 1949, married and divorced women, mothers and those who had undergone abortions could not participate in the contest. Due to the Great Depression and several other reasons, the competition was not held from 1928 to 1932, in 1934 and in 1950. In 1954, the national competition began to be broadcast on television. For the first time, 27 million Americans watched it. Until the mid-1970s, only Caucasian participants were allowed to participate in beauty pageants.
The traditional contest is still organized successfully today. It consists of a number of specific disciplines (interviews, talent competitions, performances in bathing suits, evening gowns and since 2003, sportswear). Though the time and location of the event have changed. Among the awards are considerable cash scholarships. They allow the winners to get a good education at popular universities and make a successful career. Among the record holders in terms of the number of national beauties are California, Oklahoma, Ohio and Pennsylvania.