Poor Girl Is Labeled 'Miss Garbage' Due to Waste Collector Parents – Becomes Beauty Queen Years Later

A struggling woman from Bangkok went from being called “Miss Garbage” to competing at Miss Universe 2022, proving that no matter how difficult life once was, it can always turn around for the better.

As Miss Thailand Anna Sueangam-iam walked the runways of Miss Universe 2022, no one could have ever imagined what she had gone through as a child. Her effortless charm wowed the beauty pageant's audiences worldwide, but little did they know there was a story of pain and struggle behind her gorgeous smile.

Sueangam-iam grew up in the slums of Bangkok, a supercity that draws in so many tourists from around the world. She was raised by a garbage collector and a street sweeper, which resulted in her peers calling her "Miss Garbage" growing up.

Her Humble Beginnings

Despite her difficulties, she never lost sight of her dream—to become a beauty queen. She grew up in a dump, yet everybody knew her ambitious goal of becoming a pageant queen one day. Hence, her peers nicknamed her "the queen of garbage."

Sueangam-iam is not ashamed of her beginnings. She acknowledged that her family used to live in one of Bangkok's poorest slums, and while her dad and mom worked, she would also rummage through the trash to find plastic bottles to collect. She'd sell the bottles to earn a few coins to contribute to their family budget.

With over half a million followers on Instagram, Sueangam-iam is now living a more comfortable life, modeling and using her platform to push forward her advocacies.

From Miss Garbage to Miss Universe Thailand 2022

Growing up, she scrubbed public toilets, donated blood every six months, and ate leftovers discarded by nuns to survive. She always wanted to rise up from her state of poverty and didn't stop at anything to achieve that.

When she became Miss Universe Thailand 2022, she opened up about her humble beginnings to the entire organization rather than concealing it from the world. She used it to spread a message of hope to those struggling yet had bigger dreams for themselves and their families.

She was not ashamed to tell the Thai media that she didn't have a normal childhood like her peers because her parents worked hard, leaving home at 3 in the morning to work and returning home at 7 in the evening to sleep.

Her Inspirational Rags-to-Riches Story

Sueangam-iam only saw Bangkok when riding on the garbage truck with her dad. Because of her parents' busy schedules, she was raised mainly by her grandmother. They got their food from alms given to monks by the public.

Her rags-to-riches story soon went viral and was seen as an inspiration to other women to dream big. The beauty queen's advice to those struggling is not to lose hope and strive to fulfill their dreams the way she did.

Ultimately, she took the Miss Universe preliminary competition by storm in New Orleans and donned a gorgeous shiny metallic dress. Little did people know there was more to the dress than what met the eye.

Her Iconic Recycled Dress

Sueangam-iam took to social media to reveal the true meaning behind the dress. It represented her childhood and was made with soda can tabs combined with Swarovski crystals. She wrote:

"My life as a child was among piles of garbage and recyclables. This unique gown was purposefully tailor-made with discarded and recycled materials, namely the 'Can Tab,' to present to the UNIVERSE that what's considered worthless by many actually possesses its own value and beauty."

The dress was such a hit because of its powerful message that Miss Thailand won the ImpactWayv award during the show. She dedicated the soda tin can dress to her parents, who worked hard to provide her with all she needed growing up.

Using Her Reality as Motivation

When she was younger, Sueangam-iam's parents would give her toys they'd find in garbage bins. Instead of throwing them away, she'd appreciate them, knowing that was what her parents could give her at the time.

Although she was dealt with difficult cards growing up, she used her situation as motivation to do well and improve her life. She studied hard before chasing her dream of becoming a beauty queen, graduating from the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Science at Kasetsart University with a Bachelor of Arts and first-class honors.

With over half a million followers on Instagram, Sueangam-iam is now living a more comfortable life, modeling and using her platform to push forward her advocacies, one of which is raising awareness on the organization Smile Train, which provides support to children born with clefts.

While Sueangam-iam didn't go home with the Miss Universe crown, she left a great mark on all who heard her story. She serves as an inspiration to women everywhere to chase their dreams and work hard to achieve them.