The Miss America Pageant is a glorious, sequined spectacle of female accomplishment -- and now, finally, those sequins will no longer be tarnished by a historical act of retro, sexually repressive shaming.

Vanessa Williams was 10 months into her reign as Miss America 1983 when she was pressured into surrendering her crown, after nude photos of her taken two years previous were published in Penthouse magazine.

The scandal didn't do anything to hurt Williams' career -- she's since gone on to be the most successful Miss America of all time -- but it was still not one of the finer moments for the Miss America organization.

And after inviting Williams back to the stage for a nostalgic performance of Amy Grant's "How the Years Go By", Miss America CEO Sam Haskell made it right, by publicly apologizing to Vanessa Williams for the way she'd been ousted all those years ago.

"I have been a close friend to this beautiful and talented lady for 32 years," Haskell said. "You have lived your life in grace and dignity and never was it more evident than during the events of 1984 when you resigned. Though none of us currently in the organization were involved then, on behalf of today’s organization, I want to apologize to you and to your mother, Miss Helen Williams. I want to apologize for anything that was said or done that made you feel any less than the Miss America you are and the Miss America you always will be."

Williams was gracious enough to act surprised by the apology, although she must have known it was coming. Her return had been touted for weeks in advance of last night's pageant -- and according to a report from TMZ, it was preceded by a huge battle with officials who thought that Vanessa should apologize to them for having posed nude when she was 19 years old.

Let's just take a moment to imagine how that suggestion went down.

Happily, the now-officially-reinstated Miss America 1983 refused to be thrown under the bus for a second time. Congrats, Vanessa Williams, on regaining your crown and keeping your dignity.