Vanessa Williams Loses Her Crown (1984)
A moral panic over some racy photos
This Day (An America 250 History Show)
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Show Notes
It’s July 20th. This day in 1984, the Miss America pageant issued an ultimatum to Vanessa Williams, the first Black Miss America, to relinquish her title, over the impending publication of nude photographs.
Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss the moral panic over the photographs, how a photographer misled Williams, and the intersection of race, sexuality, and pornography.
Find a transcript of this episode at: https://tinyurl.com/esoterichistory
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