Upper East Side songwriter gets a second chance to fulfill her childhood dream of becoming a beauty queen, even if it means competing with women half her age at age 44 I am getting .
maura matlack She is throwing her tiara in the ring and wearing a suit to participate in the Miss New York USA contest, which is a qualifying round for Miss USA. It has been nearly 20 years since she missed out on her chance to qualify under the competition’s previous age limit.
“I had to face the fact that that door was closed forever. That was the end of my dream,” she recalled. That’s what I thought before the Miss Universe Organization, which oversees the local pageant, announced that Miss Universe would be held in September this year. Eliminate long-standing age restrictions for contests 28’s.
Back in 2005, Matlak, then 26, was forced to withdraw from the state competition at the last minute, opting instead for the “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” of recording an album.
By the time she was able to prepare for a pageant again, the Manhattan resident was already old.
“This is ‘what I got away with,'” she told the Post, explaining how she made sense of the disappointment that followed. “For the past 20 years, I have had a quiet, whispering but nagging voice asking me, ‘What if?'” felt.”
“How many second chances do you get in life?” said the singer and writer, who now also gives private music lessons to children.
She admitted that at first, a moment of panic set in when she asked herself, “Can I really do this at this age?”
But Ms. Matlak is one of the few older beauty queen wannabes standing in line wearing four-inch platform heels and trying to get the whippernappers to sash her.
“This is my year,” the beauty queen candidate declared. She is single, but she wants to get married and have children.
“I’ve been practicing for this ever since.” [the age cast-off] “It was announced,” said the Massachusetts native, whose downstairs neighbors probably liked the way she shoved her 7-foot frame back into heels for the first time in years and walked around her apartment late at night. I admitted that there wasn’t.
Matrak is in full preparation mode. He quits drinks and brunches with girls, hires a popular “pageant trainer” to get his swimsuit part in shape, and abstains from dating and dairy products. These two “luxuries” will be put on hold until then. June pageant.
“I made a promise to myself to eliminate all distractions,” she says.
There’s a lot more she brings to the table now, she said.
Armed with the local title of “Miss Radio City,” the 40-something looks at the opportunity through a completely different lens than she did in her 20s.
“My purpose is to start a conversation about women and what it means to grow older as a woman in our society, because my mission is very different now than it was when I was 26. Because there are,” she said.
Matlak said she will now take the stage for “older women who look in the mirror and wonder, ‘Has my ship sailed?'” Is it already too late? “
The singer, who believes in “breaking the rules,” is also all about shattering the tired and boring expectations of society.
As a vocalist who has performed on some of the world’s most famous stages, including Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, and produced musicals in London’s West End, Matlak wants to show all 20-somethings that they’re “scared of getting old.” he said. ” And feeling the artificial pressure to achieve every milestone in her life by age 30, the best is yet to come.
However, not everyone thinks that there is life, or at least beauty, after 28 years.
Matlak said the rule change sparked ugly backlash from critics who decried the move as a “total mockery” of beauty.
Ageists argue that this change would be as outrageously unsightly as an 80-year-old man walking across a stage in a bathing suit. ah Matlak said of Martha Stewart’s Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover.
“This makes me even more excited to compete in June,” said the singer, who is wearing a custom-designed gown made from some of the fabric of the dress she was scheduled to compete in in 2005.
Rachelle Di Stasio, the current Miss New York USA, welcomed the removal of the age limit, telling the Post that “age should not define or limit what you want to achieve in life.”
The 27-year-old Upper West Side native said the “inclusive” decision would help change “deep-rooted perceptions of beauty.”
“I plan to compete when I turn 28,” she said.
Contestants still must be 18 years of age or older.
“Lack of self-confidence is the biggest obstacle women must overcome to reach their potential, research finds” Miss Universe Organization written on the website. “By developing confidence through the MUO experience, women have gone on to high-profile careers in government, business, finance, broadcasting, and entertainment.”
A spokesperson for the contest added to the Post: In addition to recent changes to allow married, divorced, pregnant, and women with children to compete, all adult women will now have the opportunity to participate.
“This goal of inclusivity opens the door for many other women to be seen, heard, share their stories, and make an impact. You’ll see them achieve goals they never thought possible.”
Representatives said the application process has just begun, but that women over the age of 28 have expressed interest in competing, including former contestants and first-time contestants who considered themselves “older.” Stated.
“Some may not have had the confidence to compete when they were younger, but now they feel more comfortable and confident in themselves,” the rep said.
Matlak said of herself in her 20s:
“And now I know that I had a deep purpose and that it was meant to be this way. It wasn’t my time, this is it. I’m in the contest because it’s about people of all ages. I compete to fight ageism and promote the beauty and grace of growing older because I believe women deserve attention for our contributions.”
Whatever happens on that stage in June, one thing is clear.
“At the end of the day, this second chance I’ve been given is about taking it and making the most of it,” Matlak said. “Dreams have no expiration date.”
