Teen beauty queen’s fave accessory

Karina Afandi

At only 13 years old, Karina Afandi already knows what she wants to be when she grows up. The Indonesian teen who was in the country last month to participate in a fashion show started modeling at 12 prior to joining a beauty pageant. Her private lessons included runway walking, public speaking and basic makeup application.

Even as a child of 5, Karina was already interested in fashion and would take her time putting together her outfits, top to toe, taking into consideration which hair ties to choose and what pair of shoes.

Last year, she joined a local beauty contest for youths 14-years-old and under and won the Princess of Indonesia Heritage title. This quickly led to her joining several fashion shows staged across the country.

Karina is also interested in becoming an actress, particularly in movies made for younger viewers. Earlier this year, she got a role in the “Lara Ati” series, which she prepared for by taking acting classes from industry professionals. She said the first sequence of the movie was viewed 35 million times on Vidio. In February this year, she was chosen by the Indonesia Bureau of Customs to be an ambassador for antidrug use focusing on the youth.

Since 1st grade

Her CV might put some of us to shame, but Karina is still a young child who looks up to her parents, especially her mother. Her favorite things? “I really love shoes and bags and I’ve always liked choosing my accessories. Sometimes, it can take me days or weeks to decide what shoes or bags to buy.”

Afandi at Renee Salud fashion show

When she was around 6 years old and had just started in first grade, her mother bought her a pair of school shoes. “At the time, I was in love with a pair of her shoes, white Ferragamo sneakers without the laces. Since I couldn’t wear her shoes, I cut out the logos from her pair and glued them on mine. My Mom was angry, but I was happy,” she recounted

Karina got to wear her “designer” shoes for two months until the logos fell off and they couldn’t be glued on anymore. “That’s when I told my Mom that I wanted to be the one to choose my own shoes or else I would cut off the logos from her other shoes.” INQ