21st century Miss America catching up with modern women

This year’s Miss America’s pageant has a special meaning to New Jersey. Not only is the pageant returning to Atlantic City after in several years in Las Vegas, it is also giving the Shore a much-needed boost after this week’s boardwalk fire and Superstorm Sandy last year.

With luck, the headlines this weekend from the Jersey Shore will be about the the economic boost the pageant is having, and how the pageant itself has changed.

NewsWorks Down the Shore blogger Amy Z. Quinn says the pageant has moved a long ways from its beauty contestant days by offering a more realistic view of who American women are today.

During her interview on WHYY radio Thursday, Quinn she said the pageant has changed.

“You are going to see a woman who was born with one arm, a woman who has served her country in uniform and has tattoos to show it, a woman who is going to become a pediatric surgeon. So, You get a much full picture of American womanhood than we had years ago,” Quinn said.