OAN’s Abril Elfi
12:52 PM – Tuesday, June 25, 2024
A 71-year-old woman has made history by being the oldest person to compete in the Miss Texas U.S.A. pageant.
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Marissa Teijo competed in the pageant this past weekend in Houston, representing Paso Del Norte. She did not win the title of Texas U.S.A.
The winner of Miss Dallas from the previous year, Aarieanna Ware, was crowned Miss Texas U.S.A. on Saturday. She is set to move forward and will compete for the title of Miss U.S.A.
The Miss Universe organization recently lifted the age restriction for competitors who were older than 18-years-old and permitted pregnant, married, or divorced women to compete.
In an Instagram post, Teijo expressed her excitement about competing and her hope that it would encourage women to “believe there is beauty at any age” and to strive to be their best physical and mental selves.
This comes as Miss Universe Noelia Voigt announced her resignation on May 6th.
Voigt, 24, announced on Instagram that she was taking time off to concentrate on her mental health. However, NBC News was able to obtain a copy of Voigt’s resignation letter a few days later, in which she accused CEO Laylah Rose of the pageant of creating a toxic work environment and neglecting to address a sexual harassment incident.
Rose released a statement saying that she takes allegations seriously and that “the well-being of all individuals associated with Miss U.S.A. is my top priority.”
Claudia Michelle, the social media manager for Miss U.S.A., and UmaSofia Srivastava, 17, also resigned after Voigt gave up her title.
In place of Voigt, Savannah Gankiewicz of Hawaii was crowned the new Miss U.S.A. in 2023. She will remain in that role until August, when a new winner is declared. After Srivastava resigned, Stephanie Skinner, the runner-up for Miss Teen U.S.A., was offered the title, but she turned it down.
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