Why can't I resist these beauty contests? In 1932, the Avondale Synagog (Adath Israel) held a Beauty Contest as part of its Synagog Carnival. The winner was Miss Miriam Hyams, a 17-year-old senior at Hughes High School, who was lauded for "upholding the tradition of Semitic feminine beauty." "Semitic feminine beauty"-- I'm going to have to think about that one. I'm currently reading Eric Goldstein's The Price of Whiteness: Jews, Race, and American Identity which raises compelling questions about Jewish ambivalence over whether Jewish identity should be thought about as a racial construct (as suggested by "semitic beauty") or as a religious confession. Given that context, it's sort of nice to see the "semitic" pride here. I'm also appreicative of Miriam Hyams' nose in this profile shot featured in Every Friday. It makes me happy that she was the victor ... in a world where "Reading Road Rose" was seeking to ditch her "Reading Road Nose," and Fanny Brice, as shown in the Jewish Women's Archive's movie Making Trouble , was ditching the nose that had already taken her far on Broadway. And, so, although I don't generally admire beauty contest culture, in this case Ive got to give it up both for Miriam and the judges.
Source: Every Friday, April 15, 1932, p. 12.
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