A 71-year-old woman has made history by becoming the oldest contestant to compete in the Miss Texas USA 2024 pageant. Though Marissa Teijo from El Paso didn’t take the crown at the recently concluded pageant, she left her mark by competing against nearly 100 other women at the pageant in Houston on June 22, 2024.
In an Instagram post, Teijo who represented Paso Del Norte region in the contest said she was excited to compete and hoped it would “inspire women to strive to be their best physical and mental self and believe there is beauty at any age.”
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Aarieanna Ware of Dallas who was crowned the winner on Saturday will go on to represent Texas in the Miss USA competition.
The Miss Universe organization which also owns Miss USA in 2023 revised its rules to be more inclusive by removing age limits for contestants over 18 and allowing women who are married, divorced, or pregnant.
Previously, the Miss Universe pageant, as well as the Miss USA pageant only permitted contestants between the ages of 18 and 28 to compete.