60-Year-Old Lawyer Makes History by Being Crowned Miss Universe Buenos Aires

Updated on April 26, 2024 03:42PM EDT

• Alejandra Rodríguez, 60, a lawyer and journalist from La Plata, Argentina, was crowned Miss Universe Buenos Aires this week
• Rodríguez will next compete in the Miss Universe Argentina pageant in May and could go on to compete for the Miss Universe title this fall
• "Women are not only physical beauty but another set of values," she told reporters after her win

A 60-year-old Argentinian woman is embracing a "new paradigm" in beauty — and is on track to compete for the title of Miss Universe!

Alejandra Rodríguez, a lawyer and journalist from La Plata, won the Miss Universe Buenos Aires pageant this week, becoming the first 60-year-old contestant to win the title. In the process, she bested 34 others, who ranged in age from 18 to 73.

Now, she'll vie for the country's Miss Universe title on May 25 and could go on to compete for the worldwide title in September, Hola! and the Buenos Aires Times reported.

"I am thrilled to be representing this new paradigm in beauty pageants because we are inaugurating a new stage in which women are not only physical beauty but another set of values," Rodríguez told members of the media after her win, per the outlets. "I am the first of this generation to start with this."

The Miss Universe Organization announced in September 2023 that it would no longer have age limits for pageant contestants. Beginning this year, any woman over the age of 18 is eligible to compete. Previously, only women ages 18-28 could enter the pageant.

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Miss Universo Argentina/Instagram

At least one other woman is making waves in the pageant world with age no longer a limitation.

Haidy Cruz, 47, will represent the Dominican Republic in the 2024 pageant, which is set for Mexico City this fall, per Hola!

Meanwhile, Rodríguez shared that she remains focused on her next goal at hand — winning the next pageant.

"I think the judges saw my confidence and my passion to represent the women of my generation," she said, according to The Independent. "I am determined to fight for the crown of Miss Universe Argentina 2024."