81-YEAR-OLD WOMAN WILL NOT BE MISS UNIVERSE THIS YEAR

An 81-year-old South Korean fashion model fell short in her bid to become the oldest Miss Universe contestant after competing in the country’s national pageant. Silver-haired Choi Soon-hwa strutted across the stage and sang at the Miss Universe Korea pageant held Monday in Seoul. Choi, a former hospital care worker who began her modeling career in her 70s, was announced as a Miss Universe Korea finalist earlier this month along with 31 other contestants. This year, Miss Universe lifted the age limit rule – which was 18 to 28 – and opened it up to all women to make the competition more modern and diverse. Organizers of the Korean pageant also removed the swimsuit competition. The woman named Miss Korea was Han Ariel, a 22-year-old (* go figure!) fashion school student. She will head to Mexico City for the 73rd Miss Universe pageant in November. As for Choi, she said, “I want people to look at me and realize that you can live healthier and find joy in life when you find things you want to do and challenge yourself to achieve that dream.”
* Like challenging yourself to make it up an entire flight of stairs.
* Choi Soon-hwa’s next dream is to appear on “Naked and Afraid.”
* Is this the Miss Universe Pageant or the Miss Older Than The Universe Pageant?
* It was never going to happen. They put the sash on her and she kept falling over.
* She may not have won Miss Korea, but her grandson is trying out for South Korea’s “Golden Bachelor.”