It is always a win when women break the molds set by society.
This was demonstrated recently by Miss Universe Bahrain 2022 Evlin Abdulla Khalifa, during the swimwear competition of the international pageant's preliminary round.
Evlin graced the runway in a hot pink 'burkini'—a style of swimsuit for women that covers the whole body except the face, hands, and feet.
What made the segment even more special was all candidates had to wear statement capes signifying their advocacies.
Evlin's cape contained two statements: a sketch of an Arab woman and the Bahrain flag.
The statements read: "Arab women should be represented" and "A Muslim woman can also become a Miss Universe"
The host introduced Evlin as "a classically-trained pianist, and black belt in Taekwondo.
"This multifaceted 24-year-old says it's important to give back and works closely with Smile Train to spread awareness about children with cleft palate."
Read also: Miss Bahrain dons jumpsuit in Miss Universe 2021 swimsuit prelims
REACTIONS
A joint Instagram post by Evlin and Miss Universe Bahrain's official page featured the clip of her walk.
Evlin earned netizens' praise for pulling off the swimsuit round in a burkini and for standing up for her fellow Arab women.
Comments under the post included:
"My Queen MISS UNIVERSE 2022 [emojis] thank u for bringing Arab community in a Global platform love you queen"
"Oh incredible she went with burkini. So great. She is my favorite one."
"You broke the barrier...you look perfect in that burkini...a queen sans the show of skin [heart emoji]"
"My chance talaga maka penetrate to. Hopefully she did well din sa closed door interview."
"Whoaaaa that move and execution is perfecto! Only her [fire emojis]"
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