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.
91: Six Degrees of Joan Crawford: Bette Davis, "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?," and Crawford’s last years
90: Six Degrees of Joan Crawford: The Middle Years (Mildred Pierce to Johnny Guitar)
89: Six Degrees of Joan Crawford: Clark Gable, Franchot Tone and Barbara Payton
88: Six Degrees of Joan Crawford: Douglas Fairbanks Jr. / Our Dancing Daughters to Grand Hotel
87: Six Degrees of Joan Crawford: Douglas Fairbanks / Lucille LeSueur Goes to Hollywood
86: The Blacklist Part 16: Kirk Douglas, Dalton Trumbo, and Otto Preminger (Breaking the Blacklist, Part 2)
85: The Blacklist Part 15: Frank Sinatra and Albert Maltz (Breaking The Blacklist, Part 1)
Blacklist Flashback: Frank Sinatra through 1945
84: The Blacklist Part 14: After the Fall: Arthur Miller
83: The Blacklist Part 13: On the Waterfront: Elia Kazan
82: The Blacklist Part 12: Stormy Weather: Lena Horne + Paul Robeson
Blacklist Flashback: Lena Horne During WWII
81: The Blacklist Part 11: Born Yesterday: Judy Holliday
80: The Blacklist Part 10: Salt of the Earth: Howard Hughes + Paul Jarrico
Blacklist Flashback: Howard Hughes + Jane Russell
79: The Blacklist Part 9: She: Richard Nixon + Helen Gahagan Douglas
78: The Blacklist Part 8: Storm Warning: Ronald Reagan, the FBI and HUAC
77: The Blacklist Part 7: Monsieur Verdoux: Charlie Chaplin's Road to Hollywood Exile
Blacklist Flashback: Charlie Chaplin During World War II
76: The Blacklist Part 6: He Ran All The Way: John Garfield
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