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Miss Universe

Who is Choi Soon-hwa, the 81-year-old Korean candidate who has fallen one step short of participating in Miss Universe?

Her name is Choi Soon-hwa and this octogenarian was a finalist in the contest in her country before aspiring to the Miss Universe scepter.

80-year-old South Korean model seeking... to be Miss Universe!
80-year-old South Korean model seeking... to be Miss Universe!RR.SS. Choi Soon-hwa

Her name is Choi Soon-hwa. This South Korean citizen changed the course of her life when, at the age of 70, she entered the world of fashion.

This septuagenarian has taken another step after a decade between the catwalks. She has thrown herself into the race to become Miss Universe South Korea 2024. In the end she did not manage to win the prize because in the final, held a few days ago in Seoul, Han Ariel, a 22-year-old fashion student, was the winner of the pageant.

But that was not all. She has already accomplished one goal: to try to change the stereotypes surrounding this issue. Now, Soon-hwa set herself much bigger challenges.

Because the next step is to compete for the crown of Miss Universe 2024, a pageant that will be held this year in Mexico on November 16.

But is it possible for an 80-year-old woman to run for Miss Universe? The answer is 'yes'. The reason is that the rules of the Miss Universe pageant have changed and the age limit for contestants has been eliminated.

She is already on her way since she has already managed to stand out in fashion shows, such as the Seoul Fashion Week, in addition to her intense presence in advertising campaigns.

The moment her life changed

Choi Soon-hwa explained the anecdote that made her life change: "I took out a loan of more than $80,000 to help someone and it ended up being my debt. To pay off that debt, I started working in a hospital and one of the patients saw me and said, 'You would make a wonderful senior model,' but I said that modeling was for young people and that I was too old for that."

She added, "My childhood dream was to become a model and I had completely forgotten about it, but at that moment, my dream was reignited."

It remains to be seen if she wins the title of Miss Universe South Korea 2024, but she already feels like a winner... because she has proved to everyone that age is not a limit. But she is clear: "I'm not worried about being eliminated. I will look for another chance to enter."

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