Here's What Zahra Kanum Is Wearing To Represent Singapore In The Miss Universe Finals!

By elaine.kiew on 29 Nov 2018

Is the outfit a yay or nay?

Instead of a multi-racial or iconic Singapore-themed outfit like what past Miss Univere Singapore have worn, 24-year-old Zahra Kanum will be donning on a dress inspired by the historic Trump-Kim Summit held in Singapore this year to the Miss Universe finals in Bangkok in December.

Here's how the dress looks~

With world peace as its theme, 48-year-old Moe Kasim weaved the 3m-long white dove wing into a bodice and an electric blue skirt. Of course, the highlight here is the two arms featuring the North Korean flag and the American flag; representing Mr Kim Jong Un and Mr Donald Trump.

Having designed the national costume for Miss Universe Singapore for three consecutive years, 48-year-old Mr Moe Kasim expressed that he was happy to play on a beauty pageant stereotype: world peace.

Speaking to The New Paper, Mr Kasim said:

"The toughest part was bringing out the message tastefully through design. I had to consider the political sensitivities and what it all meant to Singapore and to the world community... without (creating) any misinterpretation. And as the summit was about making peace, it was only natural to go with the World Peace theme."

When asked about her first impression of the costume, Zahra said: "It looked absolutely angelic and it truly did embody the essence of world peace. It had a very serene and calming effect."

But Singaporeans didn't feel the same way about the dress.

Local comedian Preeti Nair (@Prettipls) showed us her rendition of the dress in a Facebook post accompanied by this caption: "Excuse me this is the only dress I wanna see represent my nation."

Photo from @Preetipls (Facebook)

Following this, a #MissUniverseSingaporePhotoshopBattle have also begun, with many sending in their photoshopped version of Zahra and her dress.

Here are some of the funnier ones~

Photo from Mothership

Though everyone had a lot to say about Zahra's dress, as fellow Singaporeans we still hope that she will be able to do us proud on the international stage during the Miss Universe finals next month in Bangkok.

According to her, she's been reading up on world issues every night and have been taking notes. She also listened to what important people had to say about these issues, such as her 'idols' (former US First Lady) Michelle Obama and (actress) Priyanka Chopra.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Zahra Khanum (@zah16) on Sep 2, 2018 at 12:55am PDT

"I have been going for constant workouts and eating healthy. I have been practising my catwalk and expressions on stage. I have also been keeping up with world news to broaden my knowledge. I hope that my efforts do pay off. I am looking forward to doing my best to make Singapore very proud."