70-Year-Old Playwright Wins Brooklyn’s First All-Ages, All-Gender Beauty Pageant

Brooklyn’s first-ever all-ages, all-gender beauty pageant made history on February 27 as 70-year-old playwright Denise “Mistah” Coles took home the crown. The event, organised by Simone Tetteh and Thomas Tomczak, was held as a fundraiser for the Brooklyn Community Kitchen, a nonprofit dedicated to providing meals for those in need, people reported.

70-Year-Old Playwright Wins Brooklyn’s First All-Ages, All-Gender Beauty Pageant

Unlike traditional charity events, Tetteh and Tomczak wanted to create something that truly represented the Brooklyn community and the spirit of the kitchen where they volunteered. “It was important for us to do something that reflected our community and the culture of the kitchen that we volunteer at, the volunteers as well as the greater Brooklyn area. We wanted to do something that felt really inclusive and, of course, really fun,” Tetteh explained.

To encourage participation, they put out an open call for contestants, even promoting it on the local news podcast 1010 Wins. That’s how Coles discovered the event.

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An Unexpected Win for Coles

Despite entering the competition, Coles never expected to win. While speaking to The New York Post, she shared her surprise at the victory. “I knew it was going to be a ball, that we were going to have fun. I really did not expect to be winning anything, but I did,” she said.

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A seasoned playwright, Coles has written four off-Broadway plays. However, this moment was about more than just performance, it was a statement on age representation.

 “Being a person of an older age, we have to be understood. We’re not being put out to pasture because we’re a little bit older. I have a lot to offer,” she emphasised.

Coles made a bold impression by taking the stage in drag, wearing a masculine outfit and a fake beard. She captivated the audience with her rendition of I Know Where I’ve Been from the musical Hairspray, a song about racial equality.

Her win was a powerful reminder that beauty, talent, and confidence have no age limit. The success of the pageant also proved that inclusive events can help bring communities together while supporting important causes.