Miss Universe Maldives Shaina Naseem has represented the country in a Dhivehi Libaas in the national dress show segment of the competition.
Miss Universe Maldives Mariyam Shaina Naseem has showcased the beauty of Maldives' Dhivehi Libaas at the Miss Universe's national dress show.
The Miss Universe pageant's activities began last Monday in Mexico, with last night's events focused on the preliminary rounds. One of the rounds was the national dress show where participants showcased their respective countries' cultural attire.
Shaina, representing Maldives, wore the Dhivehi libaas made with an authentic handwoven gold neckline called 'boavalhu'. She also accessorised with the traditional necklace 'fattaru baiy', and donned a 'feyli' skirt.
The next round of the event will feature the top 25 contestants as well as the four regional candidates from America, Caribbean, Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania.
The semi-finalists will be decided by viewers' votes.
After that, top 12 finalists will be selected tomorrow, and the grand finale will take place next Sunday.
Shaina participated in the Miss Universe pageant in an opportunity provided by He n She Maldives, a Maldivian event management company, which also introduced the international beauty pageant franchise 'Top Model' to Maldives.
Shaina is the winner of the Top Model Maldives 2022. She also competed in the World Top Model event last year, making it to the top 15. This wass also the first time Maldives reached the top 15 of the competition. Shaina left the competition with the 'New Face' award.
However, Shaina's participation in Miss Universe has not been welcomed by the Maldivian government. A statement was also issued by the Youth Ministry condemning Shaina's participation and calling to cease efforts to participate in the event.
This year, 130 countries are participating in the 73rd Miss Universe pageant. Countries newly participating this year include Belarus, Eritrea, Guinea, Iran, Macau, Moldova, North Macedonia, Somalia, UAE and Uzbekistan.
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