In 1983, Vanessa Williams became the first black woman to win Miss America. In 1984, a few weeks from the end of her reign, she was forced to step down when she found out Penthouse was going to publish unauthorized nude images of her in their magazine. Williams went on to have a successful singing career and star in movies, but her career trajectory tells more than the story of a black beauty icon who overcame obstacles to make it in Hollywood. It's a story that echoes the legacies of racism, colorism, tokenism and misogynoir (the misogyny experienced specifically by black women) in 20th century Hollywood and how, as a result, black women — from Williams to Whitney Houston — have had to display exceptional talent to make the case that their images are worth circulating and celebrating as beautiful.
This episode was written and performed by Cassie da Costa, an entertainment writer for The Daily Beast. She lives in Ojai, California.
150: Blaxploitation and the White Backlash (Six Degrees of Song of the South, Episode 5)
149: White Allies and the Blacklist: Maurice Rapf (Six Degrees of Song of the South, Episode 4)
148: “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah,” Minstrels in Hollywood and The Oscars (Six Degrees of Song of the South, Episode 3)
147: Hattie McDaniel (Six Degrees of Song of the South, Episode 2)
146: Disney’s Most Controversial Film (Six Degrees of Song of the South, Episode 1)
Sneak Peek: Six Degrees of "Song of the South"
145: Ramon Novarro (Fake News: Fact Checking Hollywood Babylon Episode 19)
144: The Trials of Confidential Magazine: Maureen O'Hara (Fake News: Fact Checking Hollywood Babylon Episode 18)
143: The Trials of Confidential Magazine: Dorothy Dandridge (Fake News: Fact Checking Hollywood Babylon Episode 17)
142: Bugsy Siegel (Fake News: Fact Checking Hollywood Babylon Episode 16)
141: Marlene Dietrich, Claudette Colbert, and the “sewing circle” (Fake News: Fact Checking Hollywood Babylon Episode 15)
140: Lupe Velez (Fake News: Fact Checking Hollywood Babylon Episode 14)
139: Mary Astor's Diary (Fake News: Fact Checking Hollywood Babylon Episode 13)
138: Mae West (Fake News: Fact Checking Hollywood Babylon Episode 12)
137: Gina Lollobrigida (The Seduced, Episode 6)
136: Yvonne De Carlo
135: Linda Darnell (The Seduced, Episode 4)
134: Ann Dvorak (The Seduced, Episode 3)
133: The Bacchanal of 1920s Hollywood, via Frederica Sagor Maas (The Seduced Episode 2)
Rupert Hughes's Women (The Seduced, Episode 1)
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