After winning last year’s edition of the prestigious international beauty pageant Miss Grand International (due in large part, we think, to our representative picking Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump in a hypothetical vote), it seems Indonesia is determined to repeat that feat, starting with the Best National Costume category.
Last night, the ladies representing their countries from all around the world showcased their elaborate getups for the national costumes segment of the pageant. The best costume has not yet been chosen as the organizers are leaving it up to the public to vote for their favorite costume (which basically means, vote for their countrywoman’s costume – essentially making this about which country cares most about Miss Grand International).
During this first round of online voting, the public has from now until October 15 to like (worth 1 point) and/or share (worth 3 points) the photo containing their favorite costume. After the top 15 are picked, there will be another round of voting from October 16 to 20 to determine the top 10 contestants, after which the winner will be decided by judges.
By the look of things, Indonesia’s Dea Rizkita is off to a big early lead, racking up over 260,000 votes at the time of writing (which is amazing considering the post has only been up for eight hours).
https://www.facebook.com/MISSGRANDINTERNATIONAL/photos/a.1560999527256371.1073742127.566907369998930/1561001560589501/?type=3&theater
Nobody can even come close, with the likes of USA (a Wonder Woman costume? Really? This is not a cosplay competition! Besides, Princess Diana is not even American) earning just over 200 shares so far. Southeast Asian countries are doing better, with hosts Vietnam scoring 146,000 shares so far, Philippines with 92,000 and Cambodia with 89,000.
You might be wondering what Dea’s costume is supposed to represent about Indonesia. And if you’re a nerd like us, you might be wondering why it looks like a character from the Final Fantasy video game series. That might be because Final Fantasy often found inspiration for their characters from deities from around the world, and Dea Rizkita’s elaborate costume happens to be based on Ibu Pertiwi (Mother Earth), the Hindu mother goddess of earth who is also the national personification of Indonesia.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BaKuWduAOA5/?taken-by=dearizkita
We’d urge you to vote out of national pride or out of appreciation for cool costumes, but Dea Rizkita’s place in the top 10 is all but assured anyway.
The Miss Grand International finals will be held in Phú Quốc Island on October 25.
