A seventy-one-year-old woman will go down in Miss Texas USA pageant history as the oldest competitor.
This weekend in Houston, Marissa Teijo competed in the pageant among other participants. Texas will be represented by the winner in the Miss USA pageant.
In an effort to be more inclusive, the Miss Universe organization recently removed age restrictions for competitors older than 18 and began accepting applications from pregnant, married, and divorced women.
El Paso native Teijo expressed her excitement for the competition on Instagram, writing that she hoped it would “encourage women to set goals for themselves, both mentally and physically, and to think that beauty can be found at any age.”
Friday marked the start of Miss Texas USA’s two-day competition at the Hilton Houston Post Oak Hotel.
Since Noelia Voigt’s departure was revealed on May 6, the Miss Universe organization has been the subject of debate.
24-year-old Voigt 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.
In a statement, Rose said among other things that she takes accusations seriously and that “The welfare of every person connected to Miss USA is my first concern.”
Claudia Michelle, the social media manager for Miss USA, and UmaSofia Srivastava, 17, also resigned after Voigt gave up her title.
Miss USA In lieu of Voigt, Savannah Gankiewicz of Hawaii was proclaimed the new Miss USA 2023. She will remain in that role until a new winner is declared in August. After Srivastava resigned, Stephanie Skinner, the runner-up for Miss Teen USA, was offered the title, but she turned it down.