60-YEAR-OLD WOMAN WINS ARGENTINIAN BEAUTY PAGEANT AND CROWNED MISS BUENOS AIRES
Alejandra Rodríguez is living proof that age really is just a number. The 60-year-old Argentinean woman won the title of "Miss Buenos Aires" in a recent beauty pageant. The good news is that she will still be able to compete because she has been invited to participate in the national pageant, Miss Universe Argentina. Should she emerge victorious, she would go to Miss Universe representing her nation.
Rodríguez could only take part after the pageant eliminated the age restriction set when the competition was first created in 1958. Up until then, competitors could only be women between the ages of 18 and 28. Currently, the only prerequisite for competitors is their legal age. At her pageant, Rodríguez wasn't even the oldest competitor; the other contestants ranged in age from 18 to 73. A 55-year-old friend of hers who was a model encouraged her to register.
The new Miss Buenos Aires had no prior modelling experience. Rather, she is a journalism and law graduate who works in a hospital's legal department and occasionally does civil and family law freelance work. She did, however, compete in a beauty pageant in the ski resort town of Bariloche when she was seventeen, hoping to win, and she placed first runner-up.
"In my day and social circle, studying was a must; it was expected of me to attend college and earn a degree," remembers Rodríguez. She has also stated that prior to competing, she had to overcome "stereotypes and prejudice." "I never considered this to be one of my goals. And now this chance presented itself, which I thought was a really interesting challenge.
In response to a question concerning the source of her seemingly youthful appearance, Rodríguez gives credit to her organic, vegetarian diet, without going overboard. She visits the gym three times a week as well.
Rodríguez has made jokes about how her lack of children and divorce may contribute to her attractiveness. "I've been receiving a lot of calls from friends who are motivated by all of this, saying things like, 'If she's 60 and she's doing this, we can do it too.'" According to Rodriguez, "They say the 60s of today are the 40s of yesteryear." "People are living longer, taking better care of themselves, and having access to more opportunities—it's a new youth. In terms of age, a new paradigm has emerged.