The 69th Miss Universe pageant was held this weekend and Miss Mexico Andrea Meza was crowned as Miss Universe at an event which also hit the headlines because of political protests
With a number of beauty queens using the competition, held in Florido, to highlight social injustice and patriotic messages, last night the women stripped down to colourful two-pieces.
Miss Singapore Bernadette Belle Ong
What used to be a parade about cultural diversity, the national costume presentation of this year’s Miss Universe became a platform for political statements for some candidates. And Filipino netizens, pageant fans or not, can’t help but salute the ladies that wore their causes on the stage of the prestigious pageant.
Here are some of the standouts:
Miss Singapore
Singaporean beauty queen Bernadette Belle Ong stood for all Asians around the world as she campaigns to #StopAsianHate with her costume. Made by Filipino designer Arwin Meriales, the costume took only two days to be finished. Much like a protest banner, the “Stop Asian Hate” statement on her cape was handpainted by artist Paulo Espinosa.