The dreams of a 60-year-old beauty contestant come to an abrupt end in Argentina

A 60-year-old woman saw her dreams of becoming the oldest Miss Universe contestant in history melt away in a haze of sequins and selfies Saturday at Argentina’s annual beauty pageant. Alejandra Marisa Rodríguez, a hopital legal adviser whose entry into the competition had been cheered as a triumph over ageism in a youth-obsessed world, fell short of the Miss Argentina crown. But she did take home the title of “best face," one of several pageant categories including best evening gown, best swimsuit and most elegant.

During the contest she thanked everyone who celebrated her success in the Miss Buenos Aires competition last month. Her win there, after Miss Universe eliminated its long-standing age limit, generated a frenzy of global media attention that vaulted her from obscurity to local fame.

In an instant the soft-spoken lawyer from the city of La Plata, south of Buenos Aires, was doling out moisturiser tips to women striving to achieve her surreally smooth face and promising the public there was truth to the adage that age is just a number.

“As a result of what happened to me, I believe a new door has opened for many people who perhaps did not have it easy,” Rodríguez told media sources after the event, still dressed in her red cocktail dress with slits. “It was adventure and I had no expectations of this other than taking on a new challenge."

While many women praised Rodriguez’s decision to compete at age 60, others questioned whether she was setting an unreasonable standard for older women.