MOBILE, Ala. — Underneath grand crystal chandeliers, gold-framed portraits line the empty hallway of America's Junior Miss antebellum headquarters. Frozen in time, the fresh-faced young American women smile dreamily. Strewn below them in the hall are boxes containing a clutter of discarded pageant programs and Old Navy boot-cut jeans.
A week ago, the 48-year-old pageant held its last national final. You might not have seen it -- the live broadcast was local-only and the national feed went out a couple of days later, on PAXTV.
Somewhere along the way, America lost its enchantment with the wholesome young woman.
In an era when flawed contestants scheme against each other on reality TV shows such as "The Bachelor," "The Swan" and "Survivor," America's Junior Miss has decided to bow out in a dignified, orderly manner.
"The networks tell us they want swimsuits," sighed Lynne Bellew, executive director of America's Junior Miss, as she contemplated the faces of former pageant winners. "Can you imagine classical singers in swimsuits?"
Neatly attired in a lime-green top, denim skirt and gold sandals, Bellew exuded the poise of a pageant contestant as she explained the program's challenge: how to adapt to changing times without compromising its traditional values.
"We didn't want our girls eating bugs or taking their clothes off," Bellew said. "We decided to draw a line in the sand."
America's Junior Miss was a pageant meant to honor an age of innocence. Its contestants were girls just graduated from high school -- not the more worldly women you would find over in, say, Atlantic City, at the Miss America contest. None of its winners had to turn in her crown after nude pictures popped up somewhere.
Yet the show's popularity has dwindled since its heyday in 1965, when it began a 23-year run on national television and was sponsored by Coca-Cola and Kodak.
This year, Junior Miss relied heavily on local taxpayer support, with the city and county of Mobile providing a third of the program's $1-million budget.
After experimenting with a behind-the-scenes "reality" TV concept last year, the program was told it needed more cutthroat competition.
"They tell us they want more backstabbing," Bellew said, "but ugliness and viciousness is a problem for us. Those things would have to be staged."
The contestants, she said, delivered the best reality they could.
