An 80-year-old South Korean model, Choi Soon-hwa, has made history by becoming the oldest contestant in the Miss Universe Korea pageant. Standing confidently among contestants young enough to be her grandchildren, Choi is eager to demonstrate that age is merely a number.
“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 told CNN in a phone interview prior to the Miss Universe Korea grand finale on September 30. “When you get old, you gain weight… So, I want to show that we can live healthily even when we get old.”
Choi Soon-hwa was born nearly a decade before the inaugural Miss Universe contest in 1952 and now has the opportunity to represent South Korea on an international stage. If she prevails against 31 other finalists in the national Miss Universe Korea pageant, she will compete for the title of the oldest participant in Miss Universe history at the 73rd edition in Mexico City this November.
This marks the first instance where the Miss Universe pageant has removed age and other restrictions on candidates. Previously, the organization allowed only women aged 18 to 24 to participate. In 2024, following calls for modernization, they lifted these age restrictions, and last year, the ban on pregnant, married, and divorced women was also abolished.
“Now that the age restriction has been lifted, I said, ‘I should give it a try,’” Choi shared with CNN. “Whether I get through or not, I was determined to try and get this opportunity,” added the grandmother, who began her modeling career at 72 to help pay off debts.
