The story behind Bea's Miss Universe national costume
The country’s representative to the 70th Miss Universe pageant, Beatrice Luigi Gomez, wowed fans with her national costume said to be inspired by the “Bakunawa.”
In Philippine mythology, the Bakunawa is a serpent-like dragon that’s believed to cause eclipses by swallowing the moon.
The myth is also part of rituals performed by the babaylans or Filipino shamans.
According to the Miss Universe Philippines Organization, Bea continues the narrative representing the Bakunawa in its final form: “The Golden Lunar Dragon.”
“This is a metaphor for Bea’s growth and personal evolution. The costume is done in gold as it is considered to be the perfect element and acts much like an enchanted armor. The Bakunawa appears in Philippine literature, arts, pop culture, and even children’s games,” they said.
The Bakunawa costume is made by designer Axel Que, while the intricate, handcrafted metal headdress depicting the moon as with the other accessories she wore were done by Manny Halasan.
Fans could vote for Bea’s national costume in the Miss Universe app.
Note that Bea also looked elegant at the Miss Universe long gown preliminary competition, wearing Francis Libiran’s asymmetrically-cut red dress with bejeweled linear patterns.
She also looked fierce during the swimsuit competition donning a pink one-piece.
Bea was crowned Miss Universe Philippines 2021 in September, making history as the first out member of the LGBT+ community to win the crown.
The Miss Universe coronation night happens on Dec. 12 (Dec. 13 in the Philippines).