A beauty pageant is not only a battlefield of wits and beauty. It is also considered an opportunity for cultural exchange among different countries globally. When women of various nationalities stand confidently on an international stage, they represent the beautiful culture of their respective countries.
Anna Suengam-iam represented her country, Thailand, in the Miss Universe competition in 2022. Although she did not win the coveted title, she won a Special Award – the Social Impact Award, and she still attracted the attention of the public. Her life experiences while growing up made Anna more charming and confident. Outer beauty may only be skin deep, but the touching story behind Anna’s success is the most attractive aspect of her life.
Anna Suengam-iam was born and raised in Thailand, and their family lived in poverty. Both her parents were working in garbage recycling. Her mom was a street cleaner, and her dad was engaged in garbage collection. Although she had a difficult childhood, Anna never gave up her dream of joining a beauty pageant when she came of age. Her peers often ridiculed her and called her the “trash queen.” Anna was never disheartened, and she never gave up her dream. Faced with various challenges, Anna stood her ground and continued on the path of fulfilling her dream with strong faith.
Anna was of pure Thai ancestry. It is believed that mixed-race contestants are the audience’s favorite. As a native of her country, Anna’s journey in the beauty pageant was not as smooth as expected. Many people did not feel optimistic about her since the beginning. However, she believed in the saying, “Real gold does not fear fire.” Anna’s elegance onstage, her calm presentation, confidence, and beautiful smile won the hearts of the audience and judges. Her natural beauty and pleasing personality successfully stood out and eventually made her win the title of Miss Universe Thailand 2022. Anna’s persevering journey from a thorny road to transforming into a gorgeous flower was a success!
After winning the title of Miss Universe Thailand, Anna went on to represent her country in the international Miss Universe Pageant in 2022. During the evening gown event, Anna wore a sparkling dress created from aluminum clamps. She walked the pageant ramp in high spirits, her natural beauty shone, and she won the hearts of the people at the event.
At the Miss Universe pageant, Anna wore an evening dress made of recycled aluminum can buckles and then sewn with Swarovski crystals to create a unique and gorgeous look. Anna admitted that the dress was inspired by her childhood life. For her, someone’s trash could be someone else’s treasure and transformed by creativity into something of value. “Things that many people think are worthless, actually have their own value and beauty,” Anna said. “As long as you learn to appreciate it, you can see the value in the beauty of small things.”
Learning through struggle and hardship strengthens your growth and will eventually break you free from your life’s cocoon. You will become a more beautiful and braver version of yourself. Anna is the perfect example of this.
Growing up, Anna was never ashamed of her family status and never hid her family status. She was happy to share her life experiences with everyone. She admits to living in one of Bangkok’s poorest slums, and her toys, when she was still a child, were taken from the trash that people had thrown away. As a child, she was not allowed to go out and play with other children since her parents had very hard jobs. They would go out to work at 3:00 AM and go to sleep at 7:00 PM.
When Anna started working, she would wash public toilets and eat charity food. Fortunately, she was very optimistic and sensible. Also, she never felt inferior. Her struggles made her decide to change her destiny, and she knew that self-improvement could help her parents live a better life. Today, Anna is one of the most popular former beauty pageant contestants. She will always remember her parents’ upbringing and is determined to let them live a worry-free life.
The stumbling blocks in life are often the hindrances we encounter while we reach for the top. This did not stop Anna from fulfilling her dream while growing up. She pursued her studies until she graduated college. She successfully graduated from the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Science at Kasetsart University with first-class honors (gold medal). Anna shared that her goals in participating in the beauty pageant were to share her inspiring life story and encourage people to pursue their dreams no matter how difficult the road to success may be.
Anna is determined to attract the attention of the public to focus on the environment and education and calls on the government and various institutions to support financially challenged students. Today, Anna’s community on social media has attracted over 500,000 followers. She has been using her influence to call on the public to focus on various issues in their area and to actively promote Thai culture. She currently attends lectures and participates in charity activities, among others, while spreading positive energy and giving back to society.
Instagram images credits: © Anna Sueangam-iam @annasnga_1o and Miss Universe Thailand @missuniverse.in.th
