True beauty is ageless, Alejandra proves it

When we are awe-struck, the object that evokes such a feeling of loveliness is considered beautiful, because of one or more of qualities, such as nature’s canvas (sunlight, greenery, water bodies, wildlife etc) delicious scent, shape, colour, sound, form, behaviour, experiences (including calming, healing effects) that please the aesthetic senses, especially the sight. Often the impression is subjective, based on the state of the beholder, such as a beggar for food/alms, mother for sight of her baby, nature lover etc. Beauty pageants celebrate feminine beauty on a competitive stage. The Big Four – Miss World, Miss Universe, Miss International, and Miss Earth – are considered the most prestigious global events.

Traditionally, the pageants started judging and ranking contestants’ physical features, but over time, they evolved, in line with the aspirations as well as changing mores of society, to look for inner beauty, evaluate contestants not only from their physical appearances, but also their talent, intelligence, personality, public speaking and general awareness, networking capabilities etc. But the participation has been restricted to 18 to 28 years of age. There are separate events for men, of course.

Amidst such perceptions, the other day came a very pleasant news that the 60-year-old lawyer and journalist from La Plata in Argentina, Alejandra Rodriguez, clinched the coveted title of Miss Universe Buenos Aires, one step away from the nation’s title which will make her a candidate for the 73rd Miss Universe contest to be held in Mexico in 2024. Entering Mexico pageant may be a long shot for Rodriguez, but she has made a groundbreaking achievement at a time when youth and vigor are considered synonymous, thereby shattering misconceptions and stereotypes and defies expectations that a woman’s beauty is age-specific. It is certainly a new era of inclusivity within the pageant community which has been hitherto limited by age constraints.

Rodriguez owes her success to the path-breaking, pivotal decision made by the Miss Universe Organization which in September 2023 eliminated age restrictions for contestants. A year earlier, it allowed R’Bonney Gabriel to enter the contest and win the international title in 2022 at the age of 29, setting the precedent for the historic changeover at the organisation. Becoming a pageant winner at such an age, Alejandra Rodriguez’s name will serve as a symbol of empowerment and resilience, encouraging many, regardless of age, to pursue their dreams of exhibiting their unique talents to the world. The world has become their stage now. An inspiring saga of such pageants is the gradual expansion of the term ‘beauty’ to include ‘brains,’ looking for greater levels of perception and reasonable thinking. One has to be attractive and intelligent to make the cut for such pageants whether at regional, national or international level.

The Miss Universe pageant sent a beautiful message to the world at large that it is high time we shed our limiting notions and celebrate beauty and strength of all age groups. It inspires women to embrace their individuality proudly, by staying healthy, happy, graceful and perceptive. Indeed, beauty is ageless. For us, the Indian philosophy stresses on “Satyam Shivam Sundaram” which signifies the divine qualities of truth (eternal, unchanging), goodness, and aesthetic qualities that cause joy and delight. ‘Beauty is truth, truth beauty,—that is all//Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know,’ thus wrote famously a romantic poet John Keats way back in 1819. A call for all, to go beyond senses, to aspire to be truly beautiful. Hope all other pageants take cue from Miss Universe organisation and trigger a competition in being wholesomely beautiful.