- Miss USA opens eligibility to all women 18+ in 2024, ending the 28-year-old age cap.
- Justus Kelley, a foster parent and community health advocate, embraces her full self on stage.
- Black women have long pushed the boundaries of pageantry, and Justus continues that legacy of change.
We are hearing it more and more: life does not end at 30. And for many women, that is when things are just getting good.
We are rewriting the rules, changing the timelines, and deciding for ourselves what comes next in our lives. We are changing careers, having children when we want, getting married when we want, and going after any and all opportunities that may not have been available to women before us.
Now, we can add winning Miss USA to the list. Meet Justus Kelley.
The 31-year-old made history last night, August 27, snatching the title of Miss USA 2026. Representing Virginia, she is the first married woman, first mother, and first woman over 30 to win the national title.
Don’t you love seeing Black women change the game?
Justus Kelley Is Changing The Miss USA Timeline
Miss USA began allowing married women and mothers to compete in 2023. The pageant opened eligibility to all women 18 and older in 2024. Before that, contestants aged out at 28.
During the final question portion of the competition, Justus touched on this. She spoke about being 31, married to her college sweetheart, and raising two foster siblings while continuing to pursue her own goals.
“What my year as Miss USA would mean and look like is no longer questioning if we have to choose between our ambitious careers, our families, and our wildest dreams,” she told the audience “I’m standing on this stage embracing every part of who I am, and I believe that I can…
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Read Full Article by Lauren E. Williams at hellobeautiful.com
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