Miss Bahrain Evlin Khalifa made a powerful statement about representation during the swimsuit round of Miss Universe on Wednesday night.
Delegates from 86 countries are taking part in the global competition in New Orleans, now in its 71st year, which will crown the 2022 winner on Saturday night. The annual pageant was postponed last year to avoid clashing with the Fifa World Cup.
Khalifa, who was crowned Miss Bahrain 2022 in September, is only the second woman from her country to take part in the pageant.
She made a striking appearance in a pink burkini during the swimsuit round, customising her cape with the message: "Arab Women should be represented. Muslim women can also become Miss Universe".
The cape also featured the word "equality" written in Arabic.
While part of the preliminary competition, contestants are not obligated to wear anything revealing during the swimsuit round if they so choose. The preliminary competition, which also includes an evening gown round, will determine which contestants make it to the semi-finals. The names of the semi-finalists will be announced on coronation night on Saturday.
A separate national costume competition will be held later on Wednesday.
"There are a lot of factors why I decide to compete for the greatest competition of its kind, Miss Universe, but one of the major reasons is to break stereotypes," Khalifa told The National following the preliminary competition. "Arab women are kind, passionate and brave and they are ready to embrace the challenges of life. They can become beauty queens in modesty and can shine in modern pageantry."
For the evening gown competition, Khalifa wore a glittery silver dress, complete with a head covering, by Filipino designer Furne One, whose Amato label is headquartered in Dubai.
Scroll through the gallery below for more pictures from the evening gown competition
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Miss Bahrain Evlin Khalifa competes in the evening gown competition during the preliminary round of the 71st Miss Universe in New Orleans. All photos: AP -
Miss Lebanon Yasmina Zaytoun -
Miss India Divita Rai -
Miss Philippines Celeste Cortesi -
Miss USA R'Bonney Gabriel -
Miss Slovak Republic Karolina Michalcikova -
Miss Russia Anna Linnikova -
Miss Portugal Telma Madeira -
Miss Singapore Carissa Yap -
Miss Seychelles Gabriella Gonthier -
Miss Switzerland Alia Guindi -
Miss Puerto Rico Ashley Carino -
Miss Saint Lucia Sheris Paul -
Miss South Africa Ndavi Nokeri -
Miss Thailand Anna Sueangam-iam -
Miss The Bahamas Angel J Cartwright -
Miss Trinidad and Tobago Tya Jane Ramey -
Miss Ukraine Viktoria Apanasenko -
Miss Uruguay Carla Romero -
Miss Turkiye (Turkey) Aleyna Sirin -
Miss Venezuela Amanda Dudamel -
Miss Vietnam Nguyen Thi Ngoc Chau -
Miss Spain Alicia Faubel -
Miss Peru Alessia Rovegno -
Miss Panama Solaris Barba -
Miss Poland Aleksandra Klepaczka -
Miss Norway Ida Anette Hauan -
Miss Nepal Sophiya Bhujel -
Miss Korea Hanna Kim -
Miss Myanmar Zar Li Moe -
Miss Nicaragua Norma Huembes -
Miss Netherlands Ona Moody -
Miss Namibia Cassia Sharpley -
Miss Greece Korina Emmanouilidou -
Miss Kosovo Roksana Ibrahimi -
Miss Laos Payengxa Lor -
Miss Malaysia Cheam Wei Yeng -
Miss Indonesia Laksmi De Neefe Suardana -
Miss Great Britain Noky Simbani -
Miss Italy Virginia Stablum -
Miss Haiti Mideline Phelizor -
Miss Guatemala Ivana Batchelor -
Miss Mauritius Alexandrine Belle-Etoile -
Miss Mexico Irma Cristina Miranda Valenzuela -
Miss Malta Maxine Formosa Gruppetta -
Miss Ghana Engracia Afua K Mofuman -
Miss Iceland Hrafnhildur Haraldsdottir -
Miss Honduras Rebeca Rodriguez -
Miss Germany Soraya Kohlmann -
Miss France Floriane Bascou -
Miss El Salvador Alejandra Guajardo -
Miss Ecuador Nayelhi Gonzalez -
Miss Equatorial Guinea Alba Isabel Obama Moliko -
Miss Finland Petra Hamalainen -
Miss Dominican Republic Andreina Martinez -
Miss Curacao Gabriela Dos Santos -
Miss Croatia Arijana Podgajski -
Miss Czech Republic Sara Mikulenkova -
Miss Colombia Maria Fernanda Aristizabal -
Miss Canada Amelia Tu -
Miss Cayman Islands Chloe Powery-Doxey -
Miss China Sichen Jiang -
Miss Chile Sofia Depassier -
Miss Costa Rica Maria Fernanda Rodriguez Avila -
Miss Cambodia Manita Hang -
Miss Cameroon Mouketey Lynette Monalisa Jelly -
Miss Bulgaria Kristina Plamenova -
Miss Brazil Mia Mamede -
Miss British Virgin Islands Lia Claxton -
Miss Belize Ashley Lightburn -
Miss Belgium Chayenne Van Aarle -
Miss Australia Monique Riley -
Miss Bhutan Tashi Choden -
Miss Bolivia Maria Camila Sanabria Pereyra -
Miss Armenia Kristina Ayanian -
Miss Albania Deta Kokomani -
Miss Aruba Kiara Arends -
Miss Argentina Barbara Cabrera -
Miss Angola Swelia Da Silva Antonio
Khalifa, 24, was born to a Bahraini father and Russian mother. She is a trained pianist and has taken courses in dancing and taekwondo.
She is passionate about education and believes it is never too late to learn something new in life.
A graduate in finance and banking, she is pursuing online classes to master her Arabic and English skills, as well as psychology. She has also done some professional modelling work, and has appeared in a make-up advertisement for Dior.
She has also spoken out about anorexia, having been diagnosed with it, and is keen to spread awareness and start conversations about the eating disorder, leading a healthy lifestyle and well-being.
At the 2021 Miss Universe pageant, Manar Nadeem Deyani made history by becoming the first woman from Bahrain to compete and walk the swimsuit round in a fully covered flowing activewear outfit.
Ahead of her trip to New Orleans, Deyani's successor Khalifa also said she would be modestly dressed and that crucially, her decision is fully supported by the Miss Universe Organisation.
“Fortunately, the Miss Universe organisation respects our tradition and our culture so, of course, they allow us to be covered or not covered, which is what I really respect about this organisation," she told The National earlier. "So, I will be in a burkini. I respect all the girls who wear the bikini, but I want to show the world that a woman who is covered can also be beautiful.”
