In this chapter, author Harvey Cox says that the Miss America Pageant "represents the mass cultic celebration, complete with a rich variety of ancient ritual embellishments, of the growing place of The Girl in the collective soul of America". This is a very interesting fact because I always thought it was an event to see which girl can almost reach the "sexy, ideal image" of the provocateur. This would be through their looks, walk, personality, and actions. Cox's idea is very similar, however, because he then describes the young women participating as "The Girl", or the primal image, "the One behind the Many". He then states that "The Girl" is perfect in any consumer society she is put in. She has a glowing smile and sexual openness, yet is completely virginal at the same time.
Cox's ideas of Miss America are closely related with Freud and Jung's theories of symbolism. In the last chapter, Jung explained how there are symbolic heros that trigger our unconscious psyches. Cox referred to Mircea Eliade, and said that these contests or pageants were symbolic of ancient myths and rites. He thinks our behavior can be more understood if we recognize how our modern practices can be tied to ancient myths. For example, Miss America symbolizes fertility goddesses from ancient days. Madonna and Britney Spears replaced the modern day "sexual yet virginal" image of "The Girl" because of their clothing and music videos that convey sexual desires. They have lost the innocence and "virginity" that a typical Miss America should have. Modern images of "The Girl" would include models, athletes, celebrities, and movie stars.
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