Ageless beauty: 80-year-old shines in Miss Universe pageant

KOREA: Choi Soon-hwa will be the oldest Ms Universe contestant in Korea at 80 years old. As a finalist in the Miss Universe Korea contest, she will compete with 31 others for the title and a chance to represent South Korea at the Miss Universe pageant in Mexico in November.

In an interview with CNN, Choi said that she was eager to share her youthful secrets with the world:

“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.”

“I want to stun the world, like, ‘How is an 80-year-old lady so healthy?'”

Born almost a decade before the first Miss Universe contest was held in 1952, 80-year-old Choi Soon-hwa could now make history as the pageant’s oldest ever participant: https://t.co/hHcAH9yr4G pic.twitter.com/VF7UifE8Wl

— SED (@Santario_) September 29, 2024

The Miss Universe Organisation has always had age restrictions, which have only been loosened recently. Before, the age limit used to be between 18 and 28.

In 2024, the upper limit bar was lifted, and the pageant also removed a longstanding ban that prohibited pregnant women, mothers, and women who were married or divorced from participating.

“Now that the age restriction has been lifted, I said, ‘I should give it a try,’ Whether I get through or not, I was determined to try and get this opportunity,” said Choi.

If Choi makes it to Mexico, she will be the oldest finalist ever to participate. Currently, the oldest finalist participating in the international pageant final is 40-year-old Beatrice Njoya from Malta, a mother of three.

The winner of Miss Universe Korea is decided through a scoring system that uses online voting and judges assessments.

“Looking beautiful on the outside is important, but I think you need to be at ease in your mind as well and know how to respect others. Also, you need to be a positive thinker. So many people are negative these days,” said Choi.

Korea is well known for using plastic surgery to improve looks and enhance beauty. Choi’s opinion is that this trend is not going to go away and, therefore, should be embraced.

“It’s hard to find people who haven’t done any touch-ups or plastic surgery, and I think it’s time we just embrace it. 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.”

Choi also embarked on a modelling career at 72. She had been working in a hospital as a carer in her 50s when one of her patients suggested she try modelling.

She then took weekly classes at a modelling academy and practised her runway walks down the hospital hallway during her work shifts. She then walked the catwalk at Seoul Fashion Week at 74. She has also appeared in the Korean editions of Harper’s Bazaar and Elle.

“Becoming a model was like opening a door to a new path for me, so I planned in my mind. I said, ‘I will be successful and work hard’… When my dream came true, I thanked God and kept working hard’… it’s so fun, and I love it,” said the enthusiastic octogenarian.