Yolande Betbeze
Encyclopedia
Miss America
The Miss America pageant is a long-standing competition which awards scholarships to young women from the 50 states plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands...
in 1951.
Fox (then Betbeze) entered Miss Alabama
Miss Alabama
The Miss Alabama competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the U.S. state of Alabama in the Miss America pageant.Miss Alabamas have performed strongly at the Miss America pageant, particularly in the early 21st century, when the state produced their third Miss America, a first...
for the scholarship opportunities the pageant presented. Having been educated in a convent school, she was reluctant to pose in a swimsuit
Swimsuit
A swimsuit, bathing suit, or swimming costume is an item of clothing designed to be worn by men, women or children while they are engaging in a water-based activity or water sports, such as swimming, water polo, diving, surfing, water skiing, or during activities in the sun, such as sun bathing.A...
and refused to do so after she won Miss America.
That led the swim suit company, Catalina
Catalina swimwear
Catalina is one of the oldest apparel manufacturers in California and one of the best known names in the swimwear industry. Their history began in 1907, as Bentz Knitting Mills, a small manufacturer of underwear and sweaters. The name was changed to Pacific Knitting Mills in 1912, accompanied by...
, to withdraw their sponsorship of the Miss America pageant and eventually brought about the creation of the rival Miss USA
Miss USA
The Miss USA beauty contest has been held annually since 1952 to select the United States entrant in the Miss Universe pageant. The Miss Universe Organization operates both pageants, as well as Miss Teen USA...
pageant.
The Miss America Organization has claimed that Fox's (then Betbeze's) actions were pivotal in directing pageant progress towards recognizing intellect, values, and leadership abilities, rather than focusing on beauty alone. From then on the Miss America pageant concentrated more on scholarship than beauty.
Fox was an opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
singer and did gain a reputation in that area. She was occasionally seen "dating" baseballer Joe Dimaggio
Joe DiMaggio
Joseph Paul "Joe" DiMaggio , nicknamed "Joltin' Joe" and "The Yankee Clipper," was an American Major League Baseball center fielder who played his entire 13-year career for the New York Yankees. He is perhaps best known for his 56-game hitting streak , a record that still stands...
, although it was later revealed they were only close friends. She married Matthew Fox and they had one daughter. After her husband's death, she moved to Georgetown, Washington, D.C.
Georgetown, Washington, D.C.
Georgetown is a neighborhood located in northwest Washington, D.C., situated along the Potomac River. Founded in 1751, the port of Georgetown predated the establishment of the federal district and the City of Washington by 40 years...
where she was part of a fun-loving and elite crowd called "The Swing Set." She had a relationship with Cherif Guellal
Cherif Guellal
Cherif Guellal was an Algerian businessman and diplomat who fought in the Algerian independence movement....
until his death. Fox has been active in the feminist movement
Feminist movement
The feminist movement refers to a series of campaigns for reforms on issues such as reproductive rights, domestic violence, maternity leave, equal pay, women's suffrage, sexual harassment and sexual violence...
.