80-year-old grandmum qualifies for Miss Universe Korea final

Choi Soon-hwa, the 80-year-old South Korean fashion model, has made history as the oldest-ever contestant in the Miss Universe competition.

Born in 1943, Choi became a sensation after she made it to the final of the annual Miss Universe Korea competition.

The fashion model will go head-to-head with 31 other finalists who are young enough to be her granddaughters for the crown on September 30.

Suppose Choi wins the Miss Universe Korea competition, she gets the chance to represent her country at the 73rd Miss Universe pageant in Mexico City on November 16, making her the oldest contestant in the history of the international pageant.

Speaking with CNN on why she took part in the beauty pageant, the fashion model, who divorced in her 40s and has two children and three grandchildren, said she aims to show the world that “we can live healthily even when we get old”.

Choid, who turns 81 in October, said she hopes to inspire people to understand that wellness and weight can be maintained well into old age.

“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?’” she said.

“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?”

While this is Choi’s first pageant, she began modelling at 72. She debuted at Seoul Fashion Week at 74 in 2018 and appeared in major magazines like Harper’s Bazaar and Elle.

The Miss Universe Organization recently lifted its upper age limit for contestants, previously set at 28, making Choi eligible to participate in the beauty contest.

Last year, the organization also updated eligibility criteria to remove a longstanding ban on pregnant women or mothers, and women who were — or ever had been — married.