11. Ruth Malcomson’s Victory Sparked a Debate
By the time an 18-year old woman named Ruth Malcomson won the title of Miss America in 1924, the contest began to get some grief from women’s groups in Atlantic City. When asked about how she responded to the criticism, Ruth said that the only women who didn’t like Miss America were the boring grandmothers who played mahjong and sipped coffee and tea together while they gossiped about how the next generation is ruining the world. Local women’s groups hated this, of course, and they would later get revenge for the teen girl’s sassy comments.
