60-year-old Alejandra Marisa Rodríguez Loses Miss Argentina Crown, Wins Best Face

Alejandra Marisa Rodríguez, a 60-year-old hospital legal adviser and journalist, who had broken stereotypes and was crowned Miss Universe for the province of Buenos Aires on April 24 has ended up losing the Miss Argentina pageant. Her victory in the pageant would have made her the oldest contestant in the history of Miss Universe.

Alejandra bags the Best Face title

Alejandra might have not bagged the coveted crown on the glorious night, but she did well to win the title of the best face, which was one of the sub-categories along with best swimsuit, best evening gown and more. Magali Benejam, an actress and model from Cordoba ended up winning both the best swimsuit round and the final title.

In a conversation with The Associated Press backstage after the event, she said “As a result of what happened to me, I believe a new door has opened for many people who perhaps did not have it easy. It was an adventure and I had no expectations of this other than taking on a new challenge.”

New rules for age limit

The participation and popularity of Alejandra has brought upon a new era in the beauty world. 2023 saw the rule that participants were required to be between the ages of 18 and 28 change and anyone above 18 can now partake in the contest. If the event were taking place last year, Alejandra would not have been able to take part in the pageant due to the age restrictions. In fact, the winner, 29-year-old Magali Benejam herself would have found herself older than the permitted age group.

While Alejandra could not get the coveted crown to rest on her head, the eloquent and self-assured contestant made sure that several women, who are bound to face the barbs of an ageist society, can be more confident in their beauty and trust the power their talent holds. Even when the lawyer had participated in Miss Buenos Aires, she had managed to better 34 other candidates to earn a spot in the final day matchup against 18–40 year old contestants from the other territories.