Lil miss leah - Flickr: Discussing the list (of people in the book) check here in It's a girl thing

Since the first Miss America pageant in 1921, the industry has performed a specific type of femininity.

The camera cuts to a close-up of their laughing faces and, as Will moves to escort Ellen to her position on the platform, then cuts to a long shot showing the entirety of the stage.

In breaking these expectations of femininity through her attire, Olive transgresses the gender standards of the pageant industry, therefore exposing the absurdity of these demands.

As we see throughout the film, the other contestants wear bright makeup and frilly dresses with sequins, the attire expected of child beauty pageant contestants.