The crowning of 60-year-old Alejandra Marisa Rodriguez as Miss Universe Buenos Aires recently has the potential to redefine beauty standards. Rodríguez will now represent Buenos Aires in the national selection for Miss Universe Argentina, scheduled for May 2024. If successful, she will proudly represent Argentina at the Miss Universe World contest, slated to take place in Mexico in September 2024.
Through her historic achievement, Rodriguez is now the first woman of her age to win the prestigious beauty pageant. Another 47-year-old model, Haidy Cruz, has also been making waves worldwide since she was chosen to represent the Dominican Republic in Miss Universe 2024.
Last year, the Miss Universe Organization removed an upper age cap for the contest. The limit was 28 years earlier. Last year, it also became the first beauty pageant to feature contestants who are married or have children. Consequently, Guatemala's Michelle Cohn became the first mother to qualify for the pageant, while Miss Universe Nepal was crowned its first-ever plus-size winner.
These steps not only encourage women to embrace their individuality but also sends a powerful message that beauty knows no limits.
Beauty pageants have been held widely at all levels across the world for years now. But they have been accused of objectifying women, focusing on their looks and physique, rather than talent. Young women participants are trained by communication experts to parrot favourable responses to the Q&A sessions in such pageants.
"Personality and intelligence (not in terms of academic laurels or excellence) is what makes a human being beautiful - so does the art of being humorous and the passion for doing something for others," says Indira Roy Mandal, a psychologist based in Kolkata. "A 60-year-old being crowned in a beauty pageant is a reminder to all the aspirants that age is no deterrent to any competition; one can learn and do better with age rather than sulk about it."
The age cap in such competition breeds a notion among women that they are a perishable commodity. For 58-year-old Ajanta Burman from Goa, it was a dream come true when she won Mrs India International 2023 organised by Aasherwad Consultants. She says, "Who says beauty has an expiry date? In the competition, age, shape of body or height were not the criteria. It was just about being a woman of substance....My fashion life started at 58. Designers noticed me and I am getting calls to promote their products and advertisements, thanks to the changing notions around beauty in which fashion is not just for youth. Women can be beautiful at any age," adds Burman.
The entire concept of physical beauty is flawed. Societal standards like 'fair and clear skin', 'slim figure' and 'symmetrical physical' features affect young women, who are swayed by online content on social media. There's also pressure to look young at any cost. It's not uncommon to see young women undergoing cosmetic surgeries to align with such standards. Neither has any major beauty pageant selected a 'real woman' as a winner so far. There is no harm in celebrating physical beauty, but a woman is a lot more than that.
Ms. Mandal says, "Body shaming is rampant, it severely hits the self-esteem of people. There's an enormous need to sensitise women. The conditioning to feel worthless over looks starts from a very tender age, often in the family itself, and that needs to be addressed."
(Bharti Mishra Nath is a senior journalist)
Disclaimer: These are the personal views of the author