Miss Universe 2016 star Chalita Suansane of Thailand underwent an intense makeover for six months to get in shape for the recent Miss Universe beauty pageant.
The 22-year-old, who surprisingly has never had a boyfriend, didn’t expect to hear anything back when her sister put an application for her to participate in the July 2016 Miss Thailand competition.
But judges gave Suansane a complete makeover and she went on to win the national competition to represent her country in Miss Universe.
Although she finished in 6th place in November, Suansane won the hearts of millions after the pageant, traveling to the Philippines, Vietnam, and later in 2017, to Japan.
Studying microbiology, photos from her Instagram account show her in a school uniform doing schoolwork, posing with her classmates and taking selfies while wearing glasses and braces, which she removed for the competition.
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Fast forward to a few months later and she’s almost unrecognizable in designer dresses and bikinis.
Suansane’s mother never let her have a boyfriend and pushed her to finish school and get a degree, instead of working full-time modeling jobs.
“I never thought I would ever be a model. My sister just joked that we should send in my resume for the Miss Thailand competition,” Suansane told the Daily Mail.
She added: “My mother has never allowed me to have a boyfriend. I’ll have one when I’m ready, when I finish studying and I meet someone right. I will have a boyfriend but right now I work every day. My date is with my school work.”
She went on a fitness regime and ate healthier to lose about 15 pounds, plus spent hours under the sun to get tan for Miss Universe.
But education is her top priority, hoping to become a microbiologist specializing in developing medicines.
“When I applied for Miss Thailand my face didn’t change at all. I just did a lot of exercise and lost some weight,” Suansane explained. “The rest was down to make-up, healthy eating and sunbathing. And a few new dresses.”
“My plan was always to work in microbiology. Now I’ll return to school and finish my studies. Who knows what the future holds and what opportunities there are,” she added.
As for having a boyfriend, Suansane said she’ll eventually find one “but there’s lots of time for that.”
