An 80-year-old Choi Soon-hwa is set to strut her stuff alongside contestants young enough to be her granddaughters in the Miss Universe Korea pageant. Born when Harry Truman was U.S. President and years before the first Miss Universe contest, Choi is poised to redefine beauty standards and shatter age barriers.
Korea gets their oldest contestant in Miss Universe Korea
With her flowing white hair and an energy that puts twentysomethings to shame, Choi Soon-hwa is not your typical pageant contestant. But don’t let her octogenarian status fool you – this seasoned model means business.
“I want to stun the world,” Choi declared to CNN, her eyes twinkling with mischief. “Like, ‘How is an 80-year-old lady so healthy? How did she maintain that body? What’s your diet?'” One can almost hear the collective gulp from her younger competitors.
A journey to making debut at Seoul Fashion Week
Choi’s journey to the pageant stage reads like a modern fairy tale. After facing financial woes in her 50s, she found herself working as a hospital carer. But fate had other plans. Encouraged by a patient at 72, Choi traded bedpans for the runway, making her catwalk debut at Seoul Fashion Week at the sprightly age of 74.
Since then, she’s graced the pages of Harper’s Bazaar and Elle, proving that silver foxes can be cover girls too. “Becoming a model was like opening a door to a new path for me,” Choi reminisced, perhaps understating the seismic shift in her golden years.
It’s Chio’s chance at Miss Universe Korea
Now, with the Miss Universe Organization lifting its age cap (previously a youthful 28), Choi saw her chance. “Now that the age restriction has been lifted, I said, ‘I should give it a try,'” she explained, likely causing pageant organizers to do a double-take.
As Monday’s pageant approaches, Choi is set to showcase not just her walk, but her pipes too, participating in a singing contest. If she clinches the crown, she’ll make history as the oldest contestant ever to grace the global Miss Universe stage.
In a world obsessed with youth, Choi Soon-hwa is proving that true beauty, like fine wine, only gets better with age. Watch out, Mexico – this octogenarian might just be coming for the ultimate crown!
