Miss America ‘68, women’s lib, and the politics of beauty

The 1968 Miss America protest serves as a foundational moment for modern American politics, where the media-manufactured myth of "bra-burning" effectively caricatured the women's liberation movement before it could define itself. Historian Micki McElya examines how this event brought together three distinct factions: feminist activists, organizers of the inaugural Miss Black America Pageant, and pageant defenders. This collision transformed beauty into a high-stakes political currency, influencing the rise of the religious right, the Me Too era, and contemporary political figures. By analyzing the racial exclusions of the Miss America brand and the subsequent political weaponization of beauty, the discussion reveals how these 1968 tensions continue to shape current power dynamics. The episode also features a review of the *Big Bang Theory* sequel series, *Stuart Fails to Save the Universe*, highlighting its inventive, multiverse-hopping approach to comedy.