In the buildup to Saturday night’s 71st annual Miss Universe pageant, contestants participated in preliminary rounds this week to show off their creativity in costumes, and Miss USA stole the show with her larger-than-life space costume.
Miss USA R’Bonney Gabriel, a 28-year-old Texan vying for the Miss Universe crown, stepped out on the stage wearing silver thigh-high futuristic boots, shooting silver stars coming out of the frame of the costume, and carrying a moon half the size of her body over her head while she smiled and waved an American flag. The outfit reportedly weighed up to 33 pounds.
Gabriel’s hometown is Houston, home to NASA’s Johnson Space Center. The outfit was an homage to NASA’s 1969 Apollo 11 lunar landing and its present-day efforts to bring humans back to the moon in the Artemis mission.
This is how Miss USA walked out…pic.twitter.com/kQ3Bc792Mg
— Jack Posobiec ?? (@JackPosobiec) January 13, 2023
“When Americans stepped on the moon in 1969, it was one small step for man. Today, women are more involved as leaders and returning the U.S. to the moon,” said the Miss Universe announcer as she displayed her outfit.
He added, “Pretty soon, she will be on the moon. USA!”
The crowd cheered as she waved America’s flag in her dramatic outfit.
On her Instagram, she said she wanted to highlight “one of the most remarkable achievements in human history” with her outfit.
Gabriel is professionally a fashion designer and sewing instructor, but she chose Filipino designer Patrick Isorena to create the costume.
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Gabriel, the first Filipina American Miss USA, has been open about her love of the United States with numerous social media posts.
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In a Facebook post earlier this month, she wrote with photos of her standing on a rooftop waving the American flag: “USA proud … As an American, I will always be grateful for the freedom and opportunity to create what I envision. Freedom to be who I want and cultivate my career is something I will never take for granted.”
The 71st annual Miss Universe Pageant takes place Saturday night at 7 p.m. ET from New Orleans, and it will be streamed live on Roku TV and the Roku app.
