Miss Universe Brazil Maria Gabriela Lacerda wore a costume honoring Our Lady of Aparecida, the patron saint of Brazil, during the Miss Universe pageant.
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Each year during the Miss Universe pageant, every contestant competes in the “National Costume” round, wearing a design they feel best represents their country. These costumes are typically extremely elaborate, eye-catching, and often risque.
This year, Miss Universe Brazil Maria Gabriela Lacerda took to the stage dressed in a garment designed to reflect her Catholic faith and honor Our Lady of Aparecida, the patron saint of Brazil.
“Totus tuus Mariæ🙏🏻🇧🇷,” Lacerda wrote on Instagram. “On this stage, I don’t just wear a costume: I see the history, faith, and identity of a people. Every detail of this typical costume pays homage to Our Lady of Aparecida, patroness of Brazil, whose light transcends generations and symbolizes resistance, hope and protection.”
In another post, Lacerda wrote “I love you my mother! All honor and glory to your Son!”
The national costume contest at Miss Universe is an opportunity for contestants to show off different aspects of their country. Some choose to wear traditional attire; others, like Miss Universe Norway and Miss Universe Puerto Rico, dressed as animals. Other rounds of the pageant include interview, evening gown, and swimsuit.
“We wanted something that truly represented Brazil,” dress designer Mario Cezar said on Instagram. “And Brazil’s patron saint couldn’t be a better representation.”
The idea to dress as Our Lady of Aparecida was Lacerda’s, said Cezar.
“I interrupted her right away and said there was no second option – that was it,” he said.
Lacerda was very enthusiastic to display her faith on one of the biggest stages in pageantry.
“I believe that [I’m] honoring the purest woman that ever walked this earth, the most beautiful and humble woman, and who teaches me so much every day of my life,” said Lacerda in a post on Instagram.
“To have this opportunity to be able to make this tribute to her, to my faith, I think it is the greatest accomplishment of this Miss Universe for me.”
Lacerda explained she is “consecrated to Jesus through the hands of Our Lady” and her faith is very important to her. The dress serves as “an external sign that reminds me of the commitment I made to Jesus through Our Lady.”
“I believe it makes me the happiest woman in the world,” said Lacerda.
On social media, many people were impressed with Lacerda’s dress and the meaning behind it.
“I honestly quite liked it, choosing a restrained costume from a country otherwise known for the explosion of color and shapes that’s Carnaval, subverts the expectations,” said one user on Reddit.
Miss Universe France channeled Joan of Arc
Miss Universe Brazil was not the only contestant of Miss Universe to honor a patron saint on the pageant stage. Miss Universe France Eve Gilles wore a costume modeled after St. Joan of Arc, one of France’s patron saints.
Miss Universe France Eve Gilles honored St. Joan of Arc with her national costume.
AFP
“I chose this inspiring woman to represent my country in order to pay tribute to her and keep her story alive in our memories,” Gilles wrote in an Instagram post.
“While the armor effect on the body represents the warrior she was, the white flag adorned with a dove evokes her commitment to peace. In such a divided world, I wanted to embody this warrior committed to peace.”
Miss Universe Armenia honors country’s Christian heritage
Miss Universe Armenia Peggy Garabekian, while not dressing as a specific patron saint, reflected her Christian faith and honored martyrs in her national costume.
The headpiece of her costume was a church, “a sacred emblem of Armenia’s devout Christian heritage as the first nation to adopt Christianity,” she said in a post on Instagram explaining the nuances of her costume.
“Atop the church are three holy Armenia letters – Ա – (Astvats/God) Ք – (Kristos/Christ) and Ս – (Surp Hoki/Holy Spirit) – representing the Holy Trinity. Encircling the church is a metal halo, symbolizing purity, femininity, and divine grace,” said Garabekian.
Miss Universe Armenia Peggy Garabekian wore a costume that honored the strong Christian faith of Armenia.
AFP
The church was placed in the center of the headpiece as “faith comes before all else.”
“Positioned above the costume, it signifies that every step we take and every tradition we honor is guided from Christ,” said Garabekian.
Garabekian’s headpiece included strings of red beads, as a representation of “the generations of sacrifice and bloodshed my people endured for their faith.” Additionally, the forget-me-not flowers on her dress serve to “mirror the vestments of the Armenian Apostolic Church” and are a symbol of Armenian resilience after genocide.
Miss Universe 2025 will be crowned on November 21, 2025, in Thailand.
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