“Beauty isn’t just about what’s outside, it’s also what’s inside.”
This weekend, a 71-year-old woman made history by competing for the title of Miss Texas USA, giving new meaning to the old adage that “age is just a number.”
Miss Paso del Norte, Marissa Teijo, took to the stage as one of 75 contestants vying for the crown, setting a record as the oldest contestant in the pageant’s history, according to ABC News El Paso affiliate KVIA.
Miss Dallas, Aleanna Ware, was the eventual winner at the show, which took place in Houston, Texas, from June 21-23, but Teijo told KVIA she hopes she can inspire others and encourage them to “just be confident.”
“We want people to see us as women who are beautiful in their own way even as we get older,” Teijo said. “Beauty isn’t just about what’s on the outside, it’s also what’s on the inside.”
“Younger women have dreams, but older people have dreams too,” Teijo added.
According to KVIA, Teijo has competed in at least 12 fitness competitions, and the 71-year-old was able to compete in the Miss Texas USA pageant after the Miss Universe Organization removed age restrictions for all its pageants, opening the door for any adult woman to compete.
The Miss USA and Miss Teen USA organizations made headlines in May when their 2023 titleholders resigned within days of each other. Former Miss USA 2023 Noelia Voigt cited her mental state in her resignation announcement, while former Miss Teen USA 2023 Uma Sophia Srivastava said she was stepping down because her “personal values are no longer fully aligned.”[ed] “I will do as directed by the organization.” In her resignation letter, obtained by ABC News, Voight also alleged that the Miss USA organization had created a toxic work environment.
Voight and Srivastava’s mothers, Jacqueline Voight and Barbara Srivastava, also spoke out on “Good Morning America” following their daughters’ resignations, claiming that their daughters had suffered emotional abuse during their pageant careers and asking for the non-disclosure agreements to be lifted.
But the Miss USA organization has denied the allegations, previously telling ABC News, “We are committed to fostering a healthy, communicative and supportive environment for all of our contestants, state titleholders, national titleholders and staff.”
