Senior models in South Korea bridge the age divide - GulfToday

Senior models in South Korea bridge the age divide

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Model Choi Soon-hwa and her colleagues are seen during a modelling class.


"I think of having this job at this age as a miracle.

She is now the oldest professional model in the South, and has walked runway at Seoul fashion Week. It is a far cry from her life even just a few years ago when she was a care worker, forced to take long shifts often seven days a week.

Around 45 percent live of older people in South Korea live in relative poverty and the country has one of the weakest social safety nets among developed nations.

Life of hardship

In the past five years, catwalks globally have seen greater age diversity and models such as Jacky O'Shaughnessy, Jan de Villeneuve, and Elon Musk's mother Maye Musk, making names for themselves as fashion stars in their 60s and 70s.


Demographic crisis

Choi and other older celebrities have captured the imagination of South Korea's youth and garnered large numbers of acolytes online, providing a small link between generations that are increasingly divided both politically and socially.



Agence France-Presse