Miss America 1984
| Miss America 1984 | |
|---|---|
| Date | September 17, 1983 |
| Presenters | Gary Collins |
| Venue |
Boardwalk Hall (Atlantic City, New Jersey) |
| Broadcaster | NBC |
| Winner |
Vanessa Williams - September 17, 1983 – July 22, 1984 (resigned)  New Jersey (succeeded) |
Vanessa Williams - September 17, 1983 – July 22, 1984 (resigned)
Suzette Charles - July 23, 1984 – September 20, 1984 (succeeded)
New York (resigned)
Miss America 1984, the 57th Miss America pageant, was held at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey on September 17, 1983 on NBC Network. Debra Maffett (Miss California 1982) crowned her successor, Miss New York 1983, Vanessa Williams at the end of the nationally televised event. Williams was succeeded by Miss New Jersey Suzette Charles in July 1984, when she was forced to resign over the unauthorized publication of nude photographs. Charles served as Miss America until September 1984. Among the contestants who did not place among the 10 finalists, Miss New Mexico 1983 Mai Shanley, eventually went on to win the Miss USA 1984 title.
It began in the summer of 1982. I had finished my exams the first week of May at Syracuse University and came home to find a summer job. I saw an advertisement in a local newspaper reading "models wanted," so I called up and talked to Tom Chiapel, who was the photographer and part-owner of TEC studios. He said to come down for an interview ... When I returned later to pick up the proofs, Tom Chiapel indicated that he needed a makeup artist. He offered me an audition, so I came in and did a face. He decided to have me work for him as a makeup artist-receptionist ... I had worked there for a month and a half when Tom Chiapel mentioned several times that he'd like to shoot me in the nude. I had never posed nude and I was curious. I was 19 years old. I agreed. He assured me that none of the photographs would ever leave the studio. He assured me ... I trusted him not to do anything with the photographs. That was my error. I did not give my consent to him or Penthouse to ever have them published, used in any magazine or in any way. Nothing. I signed an application giving my height, weight, color of hair and my talents ... I never told anyone about the pictures, not even my parents. I did not think it was a concern. We had made an agreement they would never be published. I feel as if I were just a sacrificial lamb. The past just came up and kicked me. I felt betrayed and violated, like I had been raped.
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