Swimsuit worn by Nicole Johnson in the Miss America 1999 pageant
date: label: date made
content: before 1999
label: used date
content: September 19, 1998
notes: label: Description
content: This two-piece swimsuit was worn by Nicole Johnson in the swimsuit competition segment of the Miss America 1999 pageant. The suit is made of ribbed blue elastic fabric and is lined in places with a taupe fabric. The top has metal clasps molded in a rope pattern holding the straps. The suit was made in Colombia for Beach Native, according to a tag in the top. Johnson was the first Miss America titleholder with diabetes, and she used her platform to bring awareness to the disease and the community of those who live with diabetes.
label: Description
content: Born in St. Petersburg, Florida January 9, 1974, Nicole Johnson was a pageant contestant from an early age. When she fainted on stage at the 1993 Miss Sarasota/Manatee County pageant, doctors diagnosed her with type 1 diabetes. They recommended she give up the stressful competition schedule and its potentially unhealthy demands on Nicole's sleep and eating schedule. Undaunted, she continued to compete while working hard to control her blood sugar and insulin levels. After she slipped into a diabetic coma in her sleep while competing in the Miss Virginia contest in 1997, Johnson was fitted for a new medical device, a relatively compact and discrete insulin pump. Although she had to overcome her anxiety and self-consciousness about appearing with the pump at pageants obsessively focused on appearance and body image conformity, Johnson proudly displayed her pump at the 1998 Miss Virginia pageant, which she won. “It keeps me alive,” she told reporters at the pageant. “You are welcome to ask me anything about it.”
label: Description
content: As a competitor at the 1999 Miss America pageant, Johnson earned national media attention as the first contestant to compete while wearing an insulin pump. She wore a two-piece blue bathing suit as a top ten competitor in the event during the telecast (although for the swimsuit portion she disconnected her insulin pump) and sang "That's Life" for her talent offering. After winning the title, Johnson undertook a national tour to speak about diabetes awareness and earned over $65,000 in scholarships that allowed her to pursue secondary education in Public Health and Communication – she now holds a Doctor of Public Health degree.
label: Description
content: In interviews since her win, Johnson credited pageant competition with giving her the focus and goals to strive toward that helped her deal with depression and despair that she felt after her diabetes diagnosis. She has also credited her experience as Miss America with giving her opportunities to speak with political and medical leaders, leading her to a career in medical research and advocacy. As an executive at the American Diabetes Association, medical educator, and motivational speaker, Johnson advocates for understanding diabetes treatment:
label: Description
content: “When I was Miss America, parents would often hold their children away from me and explain that they didn’t want their children to “catch diabetes” from me. Thankfully, type 1 diabetes has become much better understood since then; there’s less of a stigma. It’s also become more socially acceptable to care for your diabetes in public. After I was diagnosed, and even as Miss America, I was often criticized for wearing a device people could see (my pump) or for checking my blood sugar in an obvious way. The perception changes that have taken place are extremely helpful for both adults and children with diabetes. To feel accepted is a huge part of being able to personally cope with life with a disease.”
label: Description
content: In its century-long history, the Miss America pageant has been a popular, influential, and controversial fixture in American entertainment and culture. The pageant has shaped Americans’ conversations about gender, sexuality, beauty, race, disability, and activism. It has also inspired protest and criticism from both socially conservative and feminist activists who have denounced its vision of ideal womanhood and judgement based on physical appearance. In recent decades, reformers and advocates have attempted to rebrand the competition as a more inclusive and supportive contest that gives women a platform to celebrate their achievements and advocate for important causes.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: Colombia
label: worn
content: United States: New Jersey, Atlantic City
topic: label: Subject
content: Beauty Contests & Pageants
setName: label: See more items in
content: Culture and the Arts: Entertainment
label: See more items in
content: Popular Entertainment
label: See more items in
content: Health & Medicine
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 2021.0195.01
label: accession number
content: 2021.0195
label: catalog number
content: 2021.0195.01
objectType: label: Object Name
content: swimsuit
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: fabric (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: plastic, metal (clasps material)
label: Measurements
content: bottom: 10 1/2 in x 12 in; 26.67 cm x 30.48 cm
label: Measurements
content: top: 9 in x 13 1/2 in; 22.86 cm x 34.29 cm