INSIDE STORY: Sociologist Hilary Levey Friedman explores feminism and beauty pageants

Brown University sociologist Hilary Levey Friedman, daughter of a Miss America, discusses beauty pageants, feminism and her new book, “Here She Is,” on the next Story in the Public Square.

Takeaway One: The central themes of “Here She Is” may surprise some people.

“This book is really the story of American feminism, told through the lens of beauty pageants,” Friedman said. “And to some people this might seem very unexpected, because there's been a very strong feminist critique of beauty pageants. What I think that I show and hope that I show to the reader is that, really, beauty pageants and feminism have been linked since the 1850s in the United States.”

Takeaway Two: Friedman was a bookworm in her youth and embraced feminism early.

“I have never competed in a beauty pageant,” she said, but “my mother was Miss America 1970. She competed the year after they quote, unquote, burnt bras in front of the Miss America pageant. Which was a very big deal and many see as the establishment of the second wave of feminism. So I'm an only child and my mom raised me as a single mom. And I just grew up in this super feminine environment.”

Takeaway Three: Now-President Donald Trump became involved in beauty pageants for one principal reason.

“When he purchased the Miss Universe system there were no illusions, this was entirely about attractive women, beautiful women, and rewarding them based on how they look,” Friedman said. “In fact, he was actually interested in the late 1980s in getting involved in Miss America because he used to have lots of hotels in Atlantic City — the Trump Taj Mahal and others. And once he found out Miss America was a nonprofit and was focused on education and all of that, he was like, ‘yeah, this one is not for me.’ ”

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