For 72 years, the Miss Universe Canada The pageant was limited to women between 18 and 28 years old.
This year that rule was lifted to allow women over the age of 28 to compete. it was news Lorraine PetersBorn in St. Stephen, NB, she had been waiting her entire life and, at the age of 58, is preparing to compete in the national event with plans to win.
“It was almost like something happened that I always knew was going to happen,” Peters said upon learning she had been selected as one of 64 women from across the country to compete for the title of Miss Universe Canada 2024.
Peters, who now resides in Rothesay, NB, has been competing in pageants since he was 15, with multiple wins under his belt. She is the first woman over the age of 28 to compete in the pageant, where she plans to use the platform to spread her message.
“Which is having the courage and confidence to go after what you want,” Peters says. “And age has nothing to do with it.”
She says pageants are about much more than evening gown and swimsuit catwalks, and notes that the most critical part of the week-long show (which begins July 20) is the personality interview. Peters will have to be prepared to answer questions about almost anything, from pop culture to what her favorite pizza is and why.
Peters has spent a few hours each day preparing for whatever comes his way. The wisdom, energy and high level of enthusiasm she says she brings will be of great benefit to the younger girls competing, and she is ready to break barriers on the national stage.
“Older women can’t afford to be relegated to the shadows,” says Peters. “Being made to feel that you are not worthy, that you are not of the moment, that you have nothing of these times to add, and that your value is diminished because of your age, all of which is fundamentally false.
“I really want to be that voice that can make women of any age really look and say, ‘Okay, okay, I get it.'”
Her son Ryan Gilmore believes his mother has a great chance at the upcoming event. He says she is one of the best representatives Miss Universe Canada has and hopes to see her prove why her age is just a number.
“It’s going to bring a different dynamic to the whole overall atmosphere of the event,” says Gilmore. “And there is no one better than my mother to spread the message of not giving up and continuing to fight no matter what.”
María Giorlando is a online quiz trainer who has worked with Peters in the past. She says the fact that Peters qualified for the event is proof that leaders can come in all shapes and sizes.
“Our whole world, our country, will be so much better when women realize that they have a story to share and that they have people of all ages that they can impact,” Giorlando says.
She believes Peters will be an inspiration not only to women over 28 who want to compete in pageants, but also to women who want to pursue any career or field that was previously discouraged by “social norms.”
“The only barriers they put up are the ones they put up for themselves,” says Giorlando. “The rules change all the time, our world is evolving, the beauty pageant industry is advancing and you don’t want to be the last one to do all those things. We get to be the first and if someone hasn’t decided to do it, that’s their sign to be the first person to go and do it. “That’s exactly what Lorraine is doing.”
Her current trainer, Ally Bowen, is the owner of Fit for brilliant queens. She says Peters is a pleasure to work alongside and a true professional when it comes to contest preparation.
Like Giorlando, Bowen also believes Peters will empower other women who may be afraid or doubting that they can do something like this later in life.
“I think what she’s saying is, ‘Come on, ladies, we lived once,’” Bowen says. “So why not live those dreams or take those risks? Even if it feels like a risk for you to do it because of what others might think or say, it’s still worth doing.”
Bowen also notes that contestants often talk about things they would like to do and achieve in life.
“Lorraine being at that stage of life that she’s in, she’s accomplished a lot of her goals,” Bowen says. “She has been able to provide a lot of wisdom and history about the success she has had, the obstacles she has had to overcome and how I believe she will be the face of a new modern woman.”
Which is a big part of what Peters hopes to accomplish by attending the Miss Universe Canada 2024 pageant and hopefully winning and representing Canada at the Miss Universe pageant this November in Mexico.
“This will simply expand my ability to reach a broader audience of women,” Peters says. “To be able to continue to talk to them about having the courage to do difficult things and develop resilience and confidence skills so that they never give up on their goals, ambitions and dreams.
The finale will take place on July 27 in Windsor, ON, one day before Peters celebrates her 59th birthday, hopefully with a new crown on her head.