Former Miss Korea Son Tae-young Met Her Match: Her Own 12-Year-Old Daughter

Son Tae-young has a former Miss Korea title, a successful acting career, and apparently zero leverage over her 12-year-old daughter's closet.

In a new vlog posted to the family's YouTube channel Mrs. New Jersey Son Tae-young, Riho, Son's younger daughter with actor Kwon Sang-woo, became the undisputed main character. The clip followed Son and Riho through a trip to DreamWorks Waterpark and a shopping run through SoHo in Manhattan, but it was Riho's fashion attitude that caught everyone's attention.

Son set the scene early. She mentioned that Riho had shown up to school in cut-off denim shorts, having politely asked her mom for permission first. "She came to me and asked, 'Can I wear these?' because the weather was warm," Son explained. "So she wore a top, pulled the hood up over it, and that was that."

At a SoHo boutique popular with Gen Z shoppers, Son spotted an "angel wings" top and immediately clocked it as Riho's style. "Riho loves tops. There are so many teenagers in here, I need to bring her next time." She bought a few pieces and brought them home.

Riho's verdict on the haul: "This is literally going viral." Son's attempt at a generational connection landed differently. She pointed out that the angel wings aesthetic reminded her of Von Dutch, the early-2000s trucker hat brand that defined her own teenage years. Riho's response was to mishear it as Monchichi, the 1970s stuffed toy, which sent the whole room laughing.

When Riho changed into the new clothes and started dancing around the room, the clip took off. Viewers noted she has the proportions and natural stage presence of a trainee, not surprising given that Son Tae-young, who won Miss Korea in 1998, is very much her mother.

The fashion standoff runs deeper than one vlog. Son said Riho refuses anything she considers too girly, skipping dresses and traditionally feminine cuts entirely. A school performance coming up at the end of April apparently requires a white dress, and Riho's response to her mom's suggestion of an age-appropriate one was a flat "nope." Son ended up buying from her own shopping sources: the smallest size available in the adult women's section was XXS, and after getting the hem taken in, Riho approved it.

"Her taste is very specific," Son admitted. "I think we're going to fight a lot. I've decided to stop interfering."

Son Tae-young married Kwon Sang-woo in 2008. The couple have two children: son Rookhee, born in 2009, and Riho, born in 2015. Riho recently graduated from elementary school in the United States.