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In September 1968, feminists and civil rights activists protested the Miss America Pageant in Atlantic City, marking a significant moment in the second wave feminist movement. This protest served as a symbolic confrontation against patriarchal ideals represented by the pageant, where activists mocked its values by crowning a sheep and discarding items like makeup and girdles into a 'Freedom Trash Can.' The protest aimed to awaken societal awareness about women's oppression, contrasting the mainstream portrayal of beauty with the struggles faced by women. Simultaneously, the first Miss Black America pageant occurred, highlighting the racial dynamics within the feminist movement and shedding light on the oversight of racial inclusivity in second wave feminism.