Alejandra Marisa Rodríguez, a 60-year-old hospital legal adviser, fell short of becoming the oldest Miss Universe contestant in history at Argentina's annual beauty pageant. She took home the title of "best face" in several categories including best evening gown, best swimsuit, and most elegant. Rodríguez thanked everyone who celebrated her success in the Miss Buenos Aires competition last month, which generated a frenzy of global media attention that vaulted her from obscurity to local fame.
Her win there, after Miss Universe eliminated its long-standing age limit, generated a frenzy of global media attention that vaulted her from obscurity to local fame. She thanked everyone who celebrated her success in the Miss Buenos Aires competition last month.
For the swimsuit portion of the Miss Argentina contest, Rodríguez chose a modest one-piece suit with a shawl draped over her shoulders, giving the crowd a shimmy as fans whooped and blew air horns. Magali Benejam, a 29-year-old actress and model from Cordoba, won "best swimsuit" and ultimately beat out the 27 other contestants to be crowned Miss Argentina.
This year, for the first time in its 73-year-history, the Miss Universe contest is welcoming any participant over age 18. This is just the latest in a series of changes for a contest that has been a lightning rod for feminist criticism since "bra-burning" protests upended the 1968 Miss America contest. While many women praised Rodriguez's decision to compete at age 60, others questioned whether she was setting an unreasonable standard for older women.
Her win there, after Miss Universe eliminated its long-standing age limit, generated a frenzy of global media attention that vaulted her from obscurity to local fame. She thanked everyone who celebrated her success in the Miss Buenos Aires competition last month.
For the swimsuit portion of the Miss Argentina contest, Rodríguez chose a modest one-piece suit with a shawl draped over her shoulders, giving the crowd a shimmy as fans whooped and blew air horns. Magali Benejam, a 29-year-old actress and model from Cordoba, won "best swimsuit" and ultimately beat out the 27 other contestants to be crowned Miss Argentina.
This year, for the first time in its 73-year-history, the Miss Universe contest is welcoming any participant over age 18. This is just the latest in a series of changes for a contest that has been a lightning rod for feminist criticism since "bra-burning" protests upended the 1968 Miss America contest. While many women praised Rodriguez's decision to compete at age 60, others questioned whether she was setting an unreasonable standard for older women.
