TheJakartaPost

Please Update your browser

Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.

Jakarta Post

Miss El Salvador dons golden bitcoin outfit at beauty pageant

Alejandra Guajardo, the Salvadoran beauty queen set to compete at the global contest's 71st annual event in New Orleans, shared photos and videos of herself in the costume on Instagram late Wednesday, complete with gold booted stilettos.

Isabel Woodford (Reuters)
New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
Sun, January 15, 2023

Share This Article

Change Size

Miss El Salvador dons golden bitcoin outfit at beauty pageant Alejandra Guajardo, Miss Universe El Salvador 2022 poses on stage in an outfit inspired by the country's use of Bitcoin, and previously the colón and cocoa beans as a currency, during the 71st Miss Universe National Costume Show at the Ernst N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. January 11, 2023. (Reuters /Benjamin Askinas)

A

Miss Universe contestant from El Salvador strutted onto stage this week wearing a bitcoin-inspired gold bodysuit, a glittering tribute to her country becoming the world's first to adopt the crypto-currency as legal tender two years ago.

Alejandra Guajardo, the Salvadoran beauty queen set to compete at the global contest's 71st annual event in New Orleans, shared photos and videos of herself in the costume on Instagram late Wednesday, complete with gold booted stilettos.

In her post's caption, Guajardo praised her homeland as "a country with a true vision of positive change for the future" while pointing to the government's much-criticized decision to adopt bitcoin as legal currency in 2021 alongside the U.S. dollar.

Designed by fellow Salvadoran Francisco Guerrero for the "national costume" stage of the competition, the currency-themed outfit includes a staff topped with a golden bitcoin and a huge colon coin strapped to her back ringed by cacao beans.

The colon was the local currency for about a century ending in 2021, when the U.S. dollar was adopted; in ancient times cacao was used as money across mesoamerica.

Guajardo showed off the eye-catching fashion during a preliminary session ahead of the pageant's formal start this Saturday.

Guajardo's costume caught the attention of the online Bitcoin community on Thursday, with many pledging their support and rooting for her victory.

To have a chance in the pageant, she must fare much better than bitcoin's recent performance.

Last year, bitcoin's value plunged over 60 percent, even as Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele continued to hype buying "the dip" to boost the government's bitoin reserves.

Bukele has made no secret of his ambition to make the Central American nation a crypto hub, complete with a bitcoin "city," though adoption of the coin has faltered since being introduced as an official currency.

Your Opinion Matters

Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.

Enter at least 30 characters
0 / 30

Thank You

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.