Ecuador may have a 46-year-old woman representing the small Andean nation in the Miss Universe beauty pageant later this year.

Yajaira Quizhpi – who represents the Sierra region – is vying for the national title of Miss Universe Ecuador.

This Saturday, she and 24 other contestants will compete at the pageant’s final in Machala, in the El Oro province. The winner will go on to represent Ecuador at the Miss Universe competition in Mexico in September.

Quizhpi is the oldest woman in the country’s history to participate in the contest organized by the Miss Universe franchise.

“I feel proud to be allowed to be here. We have broken barriers and, as women, we can take a step forward without fear of what they will say,” she told CNN en Español in a video interview.

Her quest has only become a reality after the Miss Universe organization changed its rules related to age. Previously, contestants had to be between the ages of 18 and 28. As of 2024, there is no upper age limit.

“The experience has been rewarding. It has enriched me personally. My husband and my son have supported me. My husband was the person who encouraged me to register and be part of this candidacy today,” she added.

Quizhpi is a chemical engineer who was born in Azogues, in the province of Cañar.

She says fellow contestants have supported her and that the fear of criticism can be overcome with determination and sincere friendship.

“They (other contestants) have received me with great affection, I have seen camaraderie, we have learned from each other, from positive and negative experiences. I thank my colleagues who have always been very fond of me. It has been a great life lesson,” she said.

Quizhpi isn’t the only contestant who wouldn’t have been able to participate before recent changes in Miss Universe’s rules were introduced in 2023.

For the first time in its more than 70-year-history, the franchise green-lit the participation of women who are married or divorced and who have given birth or are pregnant. Of the 25 contestants for Miss Universe Ecuador, seven participants are mothers – four are married and the other three are divorced.

29-year-old contestant Daysi Laman, who is divorced with three children, says the pageant is making great strides and expresses support for Quizhpi.

“She is one of the most experienced colleagues, not only because of her age. She is a beautiful woman, a capable and intelligent human being. We get along well. I admire (her) bravery,” she said in a video call.

Another participant, 29-year-old Carolina Cobo, is a single mother of a seven-year-old girl. She says that beauty is subjective and that the new rules of the contest are helping combat social stigmas.

“We don’t have to lock women into the idea that if they are a certain age, they can no longer do certain things or because they are a mother. We continue to be women with a dream, with a message and a life intention,” said Cobo in a video interview, who represents the province of Pichincha.

This isn’t the first time in Latin America that a beauty pageant contestant’s age has drawn attention.

In April, Alejandra Rodriguez made headlines across the world when she was crowned Miss Buenos Aires, becoming the first sexagenarian to win a contest organized by the Miss Universe franchise. While Rodriguez’s Miss Universe run ended in May when she wasn’t selected to represent Argentina, she told CNN that her participation was “the first step of a change that is coming.”

The Miss Universe organization has come under scrutiny in recent weeks, as the parent company of Miss USA. In May, Miss USA and Miss Teen USA resigned within days of one another amid allegations of mismanagement, toxicity and conditions that impacted their mental health.