After being spotted by a Russian photographer in Bangkok, a young street sweeper became an overnight sensation in her native country and landed various modelling gigs with established brands.
The movie-worthy rags-to-riches story of Noppajit “Meen” Somboonsate began last month when the 28-year-old single mother of two was noticed on the streets of Bangkok by Russian photographer Semyon Rezchikov. Meen was out doing her job as a street sweeper and didn’t even notice when Rezchikov, mesmerized by her natural beauty, took a photo of her from a distance. He later approached her to show her the photo and commend her on her beauty. He filmed the whole encounter with his phone and later posted it on his TikTok where it quickly went viral. People were blown away by the beauty of the young street sweeper and wanted to know more about her. Before long, she was being approached by media outlets and modelling agencies.
During several interviews with Thai media outlets, Noppajit Somboonsate said that she had been working as a street sweeper for about a year and was very happy with her job. She also expressed her surprise at everyone’s sudden interest in her, claiming that she had never expected such a reaction to her random encounter with Rezchikov. But this was only the beginning.
As a result of her viral fame, Meen was invited by famous Thai make-up artist Chatchai Peanfapichart, better known as Nong Chat, to take part in a free makeover session where he transformed the humble street sweeper into a real-life version of the character Panor from the Thai film Art of the Devil 2 (Long Khong). Nong Chat’s professional photos of Meen once again went viral, making the 28-year-old woman one of the most talked-about people in Thailand.
Meen went on to model for Nong Chat’s Browit brand of cosmetics and was approached by other brands and marketing agencies for collaborations. She recently announced that she was quitting her day job as a street sweeper to focus on her new career.
Noppajit Somboonsate’s rags-to-riches story is reminiscent of other unlikely stories of success we have featured over the years. There was Ali Olakunmi, a young Nigerian man sleeping under a bridge who went on to become a fashion model, Maleesha Kharwa, India’s Slum Princess, who went famous after a chance encounter with an American actor, and Rita Gaviola, a teenage street beggar in the Philippines, who went on to become a successful model thanks to a viral photo.
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