60-year-old’s crowning hailed as win for women

Vice president of Miss World South Africa, Carolyn Botha, has hailed the recent crowing of Alejanadra Rodriguez as Miss Universe Argentina as a win for women.

The lawyer and journalist shattered stereotypes by becoming the first 60-year-old woman to achieve such a distinction, marking a monumental shift in beauty pageants.

Botha says the Miss Universe Pageant’s move has done great justice to many women across the globe, who were previously deprived access into the beauty pageant due to their age.

She says the feat has now opened a platform for women to utilise their right to freedom of speech, as well as to be a voice for “the unheard”.

“There are numerous women in society whose ages rank way above the approved pageant age limit, yet still possess physical attributes and capabilities of someone as young as 18,” says the Vice president of Miss World South Africa.

Botha says she wishes to witness categories established within the Miss Universe Pageant of women competing in different ages groups, where they all receive equal opportunities within their respective divisions.

“Pageant queens within the younger age groups would have to be given a platform to share their skill set and knowledge according to how they comprehend it for individuals within their age groups and pageant queens within the older age group, would share their knowledge according to an individual who perceives life from a matured point of view,” she suggests.

Botha says some people might deem it unfair for young people to compete against mature counterparts.

“Letting an individual from a younger age group compete against someone who is extremely mature in terms of ages, might pose itself as unfair competition, as the younger generation still has a lot to learn from life’s lessons.

Congratulating Rodriguez, Botha says she is looking forward to this year’s Miss Universe, which she expects to be exciting and challenging at the same time.

This year’s competition will be held in Mexico in September. Written by Odirile Rabolao