Beauty,
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When you enter an international competition, you feel like you have to do your best to represent your country and when you get the chance, to make the world know where you come from. Miss Universe gives its participants such an opportunity by organizing an entire show dedicated to their national costumes.
The 71st Miss Universe Competition National Costume Show was held on January 11 and people still can’t stop talking about the outfits as they appreciate the effort and thought that went into making them.
So we present to you all the participants that joined the National Costume Show and where the inspiration for their costumes came from as described by themselves.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Miss Ukraine, Viktoriia Apanasenko
This Warrior Of Light costume symbolizes Ukraine’s fight for freedom. The Warrior Of Light protects her country like archangel Michael who is guardian of soldiers and considered to be the patron of Kyiv, the capital city.
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Tamra Tamra Community Member Follow
Okay, that's a cool costume.
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#2
Miss Jamaica, Toshami Calvin
Meet Green Nanny. She expertly commanded her people in the fight against oppression and for freedom against slave masters. As Jamaica celebrates 60 years of independence, we celebrate this female icon.
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Harlan Sarvis Harlan Sarvis Community Member Follow
Just fabulous. I lived in Miami for 4 years and my parents went to Jamaica several times. While I did not go, my parents brought back all sorts of cool Jamaican clothing, merchandise, and others. Really cultured and festive country. Love the reggae.
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#3
Miss Costa Rica, Maria Fernanda Rodriguez Avila
Maria is a hummingbird meant to remind us of perseverance, stamina, strength and tenacity. This costume features a recycled corset and wings as a way to protest against disposable fashion.
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LapCat LapCat Community Member Follow
Hummingbird! 💗
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#4
Miss Korea, Hanna Kim
This hanbok shows the beautiful Korean sunset and features elegant lines throughout. Magnificent colors flow through the 27 different layers of the skirt. The outfit has been naturally dyed with flowers and plants.
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Blabadabadoo Blabadabadoo Community Member Follow
27 layers?! Wow
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#5
Miss Ghana, Engracia Mofuman
This woman of wonder costume is an elegant hybrid of royalty and courage. It features golden armor, a ball gown and a trident, depicting the bravery displayed by Ghana’s first and only known female war leader.
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lili lili Community Member Follow
she looks like a warrior princess and I love it. yes I know Im stating the obvious. I dont care. Its amazing
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#6
Miss Greece, Korina Emmanouilidou
This costume depicts the goddess Hera. You’ll notice that Greek mythology’s protector of the family has some peaco*cks by her side. The eyes aim to turn the all the world’s gaze on this costume.
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Nathaniel Nathaniel Community Member Follow
Why does she have light up boobs? Is this a new feature women can have?
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#7
Miss Netherlands, Ona Moody
This look was inspired by a Dutch sweet called stroopwafel. This cookie with caramel is very popular in the Netherlands. The hat is a cup of tea that helps the stroopwafel melt, making it even more delicious.
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CV Vir CV Vir Community Member Follow
Stroopwaffles are FABULOUS.
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#8
Miss Colombia, Maria Fernanda Aristizabal
Feel the strength of the Phoenix Queen representing a country of beautiful landscapes and breathtaking sunsets. She emerged from the ashes and was adorned in 1,100 Swarovski crystals.
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wiggly blueberry wiggly blueberry Community Member Follow
Absolutely gorgeous! Go Colombia! 🇨🇴
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#9
Miss Cambodia, Manita Hang
This contemporary design combines those of the prehistoric and Funan eras. This look represents a goddess who educates people to love humans, animals and nature.
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Aran Lindvail2 Aran Lindvail2 Community Member Follow
Wish they had taken a better picture of that amazing costume.
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#10
Miss Mexico, Irma Cristina Miranda Valenzuela
Serenada Mexicana is inspired by the charro suit, a style of dress originated in Mexico. The costume is a mermaid cut. A wide-brimmed hat and a jacket complete the look.
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RoanTheMad RoanTheMad Community Member Follow
beautiful! I love the contrast of the colourful flowers on black.
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#11
Miss Slovak Republic, Karolina Michalcikova
This national costume is an ode to blueprinting, the practice of dyeing fabrics with indigo. Blueprinting is an important Slovakian technique as well as a European tradition of textile decoration.
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Show thyself Show thyself Community Member Follow
In comparison to the others - the representation of a rich culture in such an authentic way is great. From far away these clothes might look simple, but when you look at them from nearby it's really impressive to see all the little details
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#12
Miss Vietnam, Neuyen Thi Ngoc Chau
This costume was inspired by the image of a long-standing handicraft village located in the south of Vietnam. Associated with patriotic traditions and full of vitality, it is made entirely from a natural and environmentally friendly material.
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PHOENIX PHOENIX Community Member Follow
🤩
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#13
Miss British Virgin Islands, Lia Claxton
The White Cedar is the national flower of the British Virgin Islands. They are often pink and can be found in clusters throughout the spring and summer. The costume has 5 petals highlighted by the yellow splash in the center.
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Random Horse Nose Random Horse Nose Community Member
I love the leg flowers!!!
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#14
Miss Great Britain, Noky Simbani
In 2022 Great Britain lost its much revered head of state, Queen Elizabeth. Her Platinum reign from 1952 to 2022 inspired this national costume. It pays tribute to the incredible mother, wife and role model.
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Nathaniel Nathaniel Community Member Follow
She looks like a Disney princess.
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#15
Miss Paraguay, Lia Aymara Duarte Ashmore
This bold look pays homage to the Paraguay flag, the only one in the world that has two national coats of arms. The star in front represents hope and the lion in the back symbolizes bravery.
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Harlan Sarvis Harlan Sarvis Community Member Follow
woah
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#16
Miss Argentina, Barbara Cabrera
The Goosey Falls are one of the 7 Natural Wonders Of The World. Completely handmade, this creation combines embroidery with crystal rhinestones, beads and fringe in back. The waterfall is represented by synthetic bows.
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Virginia Lopez Grandjean Virginia Lopez Grandjean Community Member Follow
It's Iguazú Falls, not Goosey
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#17
Miss Belize, Ashley Lightburn
This costume represents the first and only Jaguar Reserve in the world located in the luscious rainforest of Brazil. It’s a reminder of the beautiful natural resources found in the Central American nations.
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Annacris1111 Annacris1111 Community Member Follow
OMG Brazil is not in Central America, we are in South America 🤦
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#18
Miss Nepal, Sophiya Bhujel
This costume takes inspiration from shakti, the dynamic feminine principle that is often personified as a goddess. It reminds us of our own strength and reiterates the fact that each woman is a boundless source of energy.
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Karri Berkowitz Karri Berkowitz Community Member Follow
I love that she did the face instead of skipping it for worry of looking ugly
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#19
Miss Aruba, Kiara Arends
This mermaid set is made out of recycled materials used in the Grand Carnival Parade. It celebrates the great work Aruba does with its Ocean Action Plan and the country’s return to celebrating Carnival post Covid.
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lili lili Community Member Follow
always upvote recycling!
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#20
Miss Italy, Virginia Stablum
This costume was inspired by the carnival of Venice. Since ancient times carnival allows anyone to be who they want to be without being judged. The dress is made of red silk adorned with gold and sequins applied by hand.
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C Lawson C Lawson Community Member Follow
I love that the focus is on the inspiration for the costume instead of focusing on how revealing the interpretation can be. The others are all very beautiful costumes and I understand that some of the designs would be very difficult to move around in if they weren't made they way they were, but it doesn't all have to be focused on their bodies.
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#21
Miss Armenia, Kristina Ayanian
This costume brings attention to Armenia’s genocide history, something this delegate’s refugee family is all too familiar with. The design shows the resilience and strength of her people and the white carpet throughout is a call for a peaceful future.
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Lea Panthera Lea Panthera Community Member Follow
What's the symbol she's holding? What does it mean?
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#22
Miss Laos, Payengxa Lor
This costume represents different ethnic groups in Laos. The unity of Lao people was conveyed through incorporating decorations featuring tribal fabrics and silk patterns. At the center of it all is the Lao flag.
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yoshi yoshi Community Member Follow
stunning! Love the pink.
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#23
Miss Nigeria, Hannah Iribhogbe
This look represents Igbo masquerade and embodies the mannerism and significance of Igbo Bird. This African eagle is highly respected for its pride, grace and an aura of confidence as she lays her precious eggs.
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That One Kid That One Kid Community Member Follow
I was scrolling to see my country, WOOOO
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#24
Miss Japan, Marybelen Sakamoto
This look is called Origami Senbazuru or 1,000 paper cranes. It’s a symbol of peace and hundreds of cranes were made sustainably for this dress. The stick is also decorated with cranes and the message is clear: no more war.
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Karri Berkowitz Karri Berkowitz Community Member Follow
I couldn't imagine the time this dress took. Beautiful
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#25
Miss India, Divita Rai
Ancient Romans referred to India as the Golden Bird, symbolizing the country’s vast wealth. This mythical being was the inspiration for Divita’s national costume. Of course, India’s true wealth lies in its deep spirituality and essence of unity and diversity.
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Tan Tan Community Member Follow
As an Indian, this is very underwhelming to me :'). The gold completely washes her out. Wish they'd used more coloursHave never seen silk sarees on this platform.Also it's really not sitting right with me that they used a 'Roman' point of view. Why can't we use INDIA'S pov, since we can decide for ourselves what we think? There are hundreds of different cultures in India, they could've done ANYTHING. not all of them are colourful, but this just doesn't strike as Indian to me.
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#26
Miss Spain, Alicia Faubel
This look represents flamenco, the national dance of Spain. The costume was inspired by the colors of the Spanish flag and is in an ode to the passion and culture of her country’s people.
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Ines Olabarria-Smith Ines Olabarria-Smith Community Member Follow
They were talking about her dress the other day on tv. They said it was discreet and were laughing at the adjective till they saw some of the rest. They’d look good in Rio or Santa Cruz de Tenerife for the Carnival.
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#27
Miss Bulgaria, Kristina Plamenova
The Bulgarian folk costume varies based on the season and region. Kristina is dressed in a modernized white northern costume made of neoprene and carries with her a basket of red roses.
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VonBlade VonBlade Community Member Follow
Sometimes simplicity is all the elegance you need.
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#28
Miss Kosovo, Roksana Ibrahimi
This costume is called The Red Kerchief. In Kosovan culture, when a woman gets married, a sad house is left behind. No food is prepared for 3 days, sad songs play and a red handkerchief is placed on the daughter’s face.
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Lea Panthera Lea Panthera Community Member Follow
I'm curious as to why that would be incorporated into her costume
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#29
Miss Guatemala, Ivana Batchelor
This national costume is an ode to Guatemala. As a foundation it features the pyramid El Gran Jaguar and the Mayan calendar. You’ll also notice a jade necklace and the face of a jaguar, the universal symbol of Mayan culture.
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ANGEL BABY ANGEL BABY Community Member Follow
Now This Is A Serious Costume! 😲
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#30
Miss Trinidad And Tobago, Tya Jane Ramey
The history of her homeland’s carnival is both jarring and inspiring. It was born out of necessity, mockery, pride and revolution. To celebrate all the carnival stands for, behold this educated jester wearing an embellished golden gown of layered strips of fog.
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DennyS (denzoren) DennyS (denzoren) Community Member Follow
My homeland. Nice.
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Peppy Peppy Community Member
So where are the other planetary entrants? To be honest I didn’t realise they still held this
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LillieMean LillieMean Community Member Follow
In the rest of the universe, this is perhaps considered too primitive a cultural custom. Maybe the name of the competition should be changed to miss earth.
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SheHulk SheHulk Community Member Follow
Really: Is this still a thing?
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Adriana Šnajder Adriana Šnajder Community Member Follow
Lol, half of these wouldn't fly with RuPaul. Some are really great but some are just lazy...
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Lollipop Girl Lollipop Girl Community Member Follow
Right??! Many tried to be "campy" or something, but many looked unfinished, underwhelmingly modeled, and just not as good as Ru has worn
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Peppy Peppy Community Member
So where are the other planetary entrants? To be honest I didn’t realise they still held this
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LillieMean LillieMean Community Member Follow
In the rest of the universe, this is perhaps considered too primitive a cultural custom. Maybe the name of the competition should be changed to miss earth.
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SheHulk SheHulk Community Member Follow
Really: Is this still a thing?
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Adriana Šnajder Adriana Šnajder Community Member Follow
Lol, half of these wouldn't fly with RuPaul. Some are really great but some are just lazy...
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Lollipop Girl Lollipop Girl Community Member Follow
Right??! Many tried to be "campy" or something, but many looked unfinished, underwhelmingly modeled, and just not as good as Ru has worn
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