Started modeling at 72 81-year-old South Korean misses out on the Miss Universe final
Most of the contestants could have been her granddaughters: Choi Soon Hwa competed to represent her home country at the Miss Universe finals in Mexico. In the end, it wasn't quite enough.
01.10.2024, 04:58
01.10.2024, 13:16
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- An 81-year-old South Korean woman has narrowly missed out on a place in the final of the Miss Universe pageant.
- Choi Soon Hwa, who was born in 1943, made it to the shortlist for South Korea on Monday evening, but was beaten by 22-year-old Han Ariel in the competition with 31 other women.
- Since this year, the organizers of the Miss Universe competition have lifted the rigid age restrictions.
- Previously, only women between the ages of 18 and 28 were allowed to take part.
An 81-year-old South Korean woman has narrowly missed out on a place in the final of the Miss Universe pageant. Choi Soon Hwa, born in 1943, made it to the pre-selection for South Korea on Monday evening, but was beaten by 22-year-old Han Ariel in the competition with 31 other women. The fashion student will now represent her home country at the main competition in Mexico in November.
Since this year, the organizers of the Miss Universe competition have lifted the rigid age restrictions. Previously, only women between the ages of 18 and 28 were allowed to take part.
Choi Soon Hwa would have been by far the oldest finalist in the competition. The trained nurse only started modeling at the age of 72. Back then, a patient she was caring for as a nurse advised her to give the catwalk a try, she says.
2018 debut as a model
Since then, Choi Soon Hwa has had a remarkable career in her home country of South Korea: she made her debut at Seoul Fashion Week in 2018, followed by regular photo shoots with major fashion magazines. "The second life is the joy and reward of life," she writes on Instagram about her late calling as a model.