A 71-year-old woman will make history as the oldest contestant to compete in the Miss Texas USA pageant.
Marissa Teijo participated in the pageant in Houston this weekend along with other contestants. The winner will represent Texas in the Miss USA pageant.
The Miss Universe organization recently made changes to its rules to be more inclusive, removing the age restriction for contestants aged 18 and over and allowing married, divorced and pregnant women to take part.
In an Instagram post, Teijo, from El Paso, said she was excited to be competing and hoped the competition would “inspire women to strive to be their best self physically and mentally and believe that beauty exists at any age.”
The two-day Miss Texas USA pageant kicked off Friday at the Hilton Houston Post Oak Hotel.
The Miss Universe organization has been embroiled in controversy since Noelia Voight announced her resignation on May 6.
Voight, 24, said in a statement on Instagram that she was stepping down to focus on her mental health, but days later NBC News obtained a copy of her resignation letter, in which she accused pageant CEO Layla Rose of creating a toxic work environment and failing to address allegations of sexual harassment.
Rose released a statement saying she takes the allegations seriously and that “the well-being of all involved with Miss USA is my top priority.”
After Voight relinquished her title, Miss Teen USA Umasofia Srivastava, 17, and Miss USA social media manager Claudia Michelle also stepped down.
Miss USA Hawaii Savannah Gankiewicz replaced Voight as Miss USA 2023 and will hold the title until August, when a new winner will be announced. Following Srivastava’s resignation, the crown was offered to Miss Teen USA runner-up Stephanie Skinner, but Skinner declined.
This article originally appeared on NBCNews.com.
