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.
Clara Bow (Fake News: Fact Checking Hollywood Babylon Episode 11)
Rudolph Valentino (Fake News: Fact-Checking Hollywood Babylon Episode 10)
Thomas Ince and the Hearst "Coverup" (Fake News: Fact-Checking Hollywood Babylon Episode 9)
Peggy Hopkins Joyce and Charlie Chaplin (Fake News: Fact-Checking Hollywood Babylon, Episode 8)
Will Hays and "Pre-Code" Hollywood (Fake News: Fact-Checking Hollywood Babylon Episode 7)
Wallace Reid (Fake News: Fact Checking Hollywood Babylon Episode 6)
Mabel Normand (Fake News: Fact Checking Hollywood Babylon Episode 5)
William Desmond Taylor (Fake News: Fact Checking Hollywood Babylon Episode 4)
Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle and Virginia Rappe (Fake News: Fact Checking Hollywood Babylon Episode 3)
Olive Thomas (Fake News: Fact Checking Hollywood Babylon Episode 2)
D.W. Griffith, the Gish Sisters and the origin of "Hollywood Babylon" (Fake News: Fact Checking Hollywood Babylon Episode 1)
120: Boris and Roger Corman (Bela & Boris Part 6)
119: Bela and Ed Wood (Bela & Boris Part 5)
118: Bela vs. Boris (Bela & Boris Part 4)
117: Boris and the Monsters (Bela & Boris Part 3)
116: Bela and the Vampires (Bela & Boris Part 2)
115: Where the Monsters Came From (Bela & Boris Part 1)
114: The Last of Jean/Jane Works Out (Jean & Jane Part 9)
113: Coming Home (Jean & Jane Part 8)
112: Hanoi Jane & The FBI vs. Jean Seberg’s Baby (Jean & Jane Part 7)
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