Choi Soon-hwa, an 80-year-old South Korean fashion model has defied age and made history as the oldest-ever contestant in Miss Universe Korea competition.
Gatekeepers News reports that octogenarian gained widespread popularity after she made it to the final of annual Miss Universe Korea competition.
The passionate fashion model who divorced in her 40s and has 2 children and 3 grandchildren will compete against 31 other finalists young enough to be her granddaughters for the crown on September 30.
If Choi wins the Miss Universe Korea competition, she will represent her country at 73rd Miss Universe pageant in Mexico City on November 16 and will be the oldest contestant in history to participate in international pageant.
Speaking with CNN on her reason for partaking in the beauty pageant, the model said she aims to show the world that “we can live healthily even when we get old”.
Choi said she hopes to inspire people to know that wellness and weight can be maintained well into old age.
She said, “ I want to stun the world, like, ‘How is an 80-year-old lady so healthy? How did she maintain that body? What’s your diet?”
“When you get old, you gain weight. So, I want to show that we can live healthily even when we get old.”
“A lot of people do their eyes or raise their nose. Back in the day, it used to be something others spoke ill of, but it’s not like that now. It’s not just Koreans — a lot of women around the world are undergoing plastic surgery.”
Though this is Choi’s first pageant, she began modelling at 72. She debuted at Seoul Fashion Week at 74 in 2018 and has appeared in major magazines like Harper’s Bazaar and Elle.
Miss Universe Organization had recently lifted its upper age limit for contestants from 28, opening room for older women to participate in the beauty contest.
The organization also updated eligibility criteria to allow pregnant women or mothers, and women who were — or ever had been — married to participate.
