El Paso native Marissa Teijo wants to open a new chapter in the storied history of the Miss USA pageant by becoming the first person over the age of 28 to win the national title, and she’s way more experienced than the previous record holder. At 71-years-old, Teijo is nearly three times as old as most other contestants in the long-past-its-prime beauty pageant circuit, NBC reports.
The Miss Universe organization, once owned by adjudicated rapist Donald Trump, removed its age ceiling for contestants as well as regulations barring married, divorced or pregnant contestants, and contestants with children. If Donald Trump walked into the dressing rooms now, he’ll see things have changed: Maryland’s representative in the national contest will be the state’s first Asian American and its first transgender representative.