There is no doubt that with 71 years of history, Miss Universe is the most popular beauty pageant in the world. For decades, thousands of women have walked the catwalk, excited to finally be the ones to wear the coveted crown that recognizes them as the most beautiful in the world.
Being in Miss Universe may involve many years of preparation for the participants, as well as a series of sacrifices that come with becoming a beauty queen. The contest has a series of rules that the competitors must comply with, to the letter, such as: being legally a woman, having the nationality of the country they are going to represent and until last year, the contestants had to be between 18 and 28 years old. .
However, for the 2024 edition of Miss Universe, the issue of age has been eliminated, which has caused an amazing story to emerge of how a woman in Argentina is proving that years do not have to be a limitation for comply the dreams.
Alejandra Rodríguez, the 60-year-old Argentine who aspires to become Miss Universe
Alejandra Marisa Rodríguez, a 60-year-old lawyer and journalist, has captured the public’s attention by becoming the first woman of her age to compete for the coveted title of Miss Universe Argentina.
Rodríguez claims that she decided to participate in the beauty contest motivated by her friends. She is single, she has no children, she lives only with her 2 cats and she attributes the fact that she does not show her true age to her genetics.
“I don’t know if I’m pretty, I’d rather say that I have a harmonious body: I’m thin, I’m 1.68 tall and I have the same face as always, although I’m older. I simply take care of myself, I like to go running and I do gymnastics. I know I’m wrong to say it, but they used to say that my parents were very nice,” she declared in an interview for La Nación.
Her recent victory as Miss Buenos Aires has challenged conventional norms of beauty and age, and highlighted evolving social perceptions of beauty and aging. This milestone not only catapulted her to nationwide attention, but also sparked a debate about diversity and inclusion in the world of beauty pageants.
“It was an inclusive contest, that’s why I showed up. That is to say, there were no limits of any kind, not on age, much less on weight and height. One of the girls, 18 years old, was beautiful and very prepared. I thought she would be the winner, but when the entire jury voted for me, I felt like I was living a dream. I insist, it was unanimous. “I’m living a dream,” she commented.
Rodríguez’s election as Miss Buenos Aires was not the only notable event in the pageant. In fact, the first runner-up was a 73-year-old woman, further underscoring the growing openness towards the representation of beauty at all ages. This unusual occurrence reflects a significant cultural shift in the way society perceives beauty and challenges traditional notions of youth as a prerequisite for beauty.
Rodriguez’s rise in the beauty pageant world also highlights the shift in social norms around aging. Instead of being seen as a stage of life marked by physical decline and social invisibility, middle age is being redefined as a period of vitality, experience and self-expression. This paradigm shift reflects a broader understanding of the stages of life and a greater appreciation for the diversity of experiences and perspectives.
The election of Miss Argentina 2024 will be on May 25 and then it will be known if Alejandra Rodríguez will go to Miss Universe, to be held on September 28, in Mexico.
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