The 2023 Miss Universe competition was held last night in San Salvador, El Salvador. The winner was Miss Nicaragua, Sheynnis Palacios. In case you missed the broadcast, we know what you really want to see is the parade of national costumes, which is always pretty entertaining, although not entertaining enough to sit through the entire show. There was the usual mix of colorful evening gowns, traditional culture costumes, and Las Vegas showgirl-style constructions.
At first I thought that Miss Denmark must be mislabeled, but no, this is Nikoline Uhrenholt Hansen, wearing a costume titled "The Nordic Ocean Dragon," which looks suspiciously South American.
Miss Myanmar, Amara Bo, dressed as a money tree.
Miss Netherlands, Rikkie Kollé, walked in as a literal tulip. But this face-hiding costume was designed to change, and she soon "blossomed" into her final form.
See a video of the transformation here. One of noticeable trends this year was a written statement on a sign affixed to costumes, sometimes only seen from the backside, which featured into several costumes. The costume competition winner was Sheynnis Palacios of Nicaragua, who went on to win the Miss Universe title. See all the contestants in their national costumes, the good, the bad, and the over-the-top at Buzzfeed.