Meet the oldest woman, 72, to compete for Miss Texas USA: ‘Not a regular grandma’

Age is just a number.

Marissa Teijo, now 72, made history last month as the oldest woman to compete in Miss Texas USA at 71 years old.

The timeless beauty competed against nearly 100 other women at the pageant — which came after the Miss Universe Organization removed contestant age limits for inclusivity.

And with all the excitement surrounding Teijo, it seems dropping age limits was the right move.

“I got so many cheers,” she told People .

But the grandmother and retired elementary school teacher was initially hesitant about entering the pageant and told a friend who suggested she enter that she wouldn’t do it.

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Her friend said something that made her change her mind.

“She goes, ‘It’ll be your chance to inspire more women of your age … Women our age can do what the younger girls do,'” Teijo shared.

At the pageant in Houston in June, Teijo did just that.

The contestants — as well as their mothers and grandmothers — told her that she was an inspiration to them and kept asking for beauty and health tips.

“I accomplished my goal,” she shared.

“My oldest granddaughter, who’s 21, she used to say, ‘You’re not a regular grandma,’ because most of the grandmas around here in El Paso are grandmotherly, and I’m not grandmotherly,” she said.

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Teijo worked as a teacher for 38 years before retiring to take care of her mother. After retirement, the grandmother from El Paso took up ballroom dancing and volunteered with the Junior League before working as a substitute teacher for a few years and retiring again.

She was looking for a new hobby when her friend suggested modeling.

“I’m always open for adventure,” she said. “It energized me.”

Teijo took classes, went to casting calls and even entered a Top Model competition where she won most photogenic, which “totally surprised” her.

“I don’t consider myself beautiful,” she told People. “Beauty to me, is just being really, really happy. And I think being happy, exuding joy and being kind to people brings out energy and beauty in you, so people are drawn to you.”

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Most of the girls whom she competed against in the pageant had been in pageants several times — but she didn’t let that get to her.

“I think that’s another thing about beauty: Having confidence in yourself no matter how you look or what your shape is. I’ve had to work on that. I’ve had to work on my confidence a lot,” she shared. “But at my age, it’s gotten much better.”

Now, when Teijo isn’t entering Miss USA pageants, she embraces her workout routines and posts them on social media .

“I’m very active. I don’t stop. And that’s one of the things that I would highly recommend to anybody: Just don’t stop. Because no matter how old you are, you can still move. And if you keep on moving, you’ll be able to move the older you get,” she advised.

Teijo started lifting weights at age 40 and quickly turned it into a sport, entering bodybuilding competitions.

Her main message to all those who look up to her is to focus on “health through fitness and taking good care of your skin, using products to keep your skin healthy and out of the sun.”

As for what’s next for the beauty queen, she hopes to represent beauty brands that older women use and is working with a modeling agent to create fitness videos and be an influencer that shows people how to “stay fit and to have healthy skin and a healthy lifestyle.”

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