From Traditions to Fantasy: The National Costume for Puerto Rican Miss Universe Contestants

Jos Blanco F., University of Georgia

Ral J. Vzquez-Lpez, University of Georgia
In the last few decades, the global trend in pieces worn for the Miss Universe pageants Parade of
National Costumes has been to present fantasy and often over-the-top theatrical costumes that
loosely relate to the countrys national identity or to symbols and images associated to the nation. In
2013, for instance, Miss USA was dressed as a Transformer while Miss Sweden was dressed as a
Viking with a metallic bustier and short skirt. In the past, however, dresses closely resembled the
national costume of the country represented. Puerto Rican contestants have also worn to the pageant
fantasy pieces inspired by perceived national themes.
This presentation discusses how the costumes selected to represent Puerto Rico in the Parade of
National Costumes at the Miss Universe Pageant tell a story or a fictionalized account of the country.
In other instances they highlight an element that is considered to be representative enough of some
aspect significant to Puerto Rico. The presentation traces the evolution of the national costume for
Puerto Rican Miss Universe contestants in the last decades; discus sing the transition from designs that
reflected traditional or national dress to the recent fantasy costumes which allow fashion and costume
designers creative exploration of the concept of the national. We explore how the national was
represented first by designs with a more institutional definition grounded in traditions and history to a
more individualistic and stylistic expression in the hand of a designer with possible support and input
form the contestant herself and other individuals associated with the competition.
The Puerto Rican government enacted Law No. 21 in 1983 defining parameters for representative dress
of Puerto Rico. The law provides guidelines for materials, silhouette, construction, color,
embellishments, and accessories of female dres s. As in many similar cases in Latin America and
around the world, this national costume was a romanticized version of the peasantry and a creolize
variation of Spanish dress. This national costume, therefore, was already a product of nineteenth
century romantic nationalism, creating a fantasy that idealized peasant life ignoring actual dress
traditions. Through time, however, this dress has come to be known not only as authentic but also as
unchanging. The national costume has contributed to the elaborat ion of a national myth that ignores
the political and economic struggles of peasants in Puerto Rico; in other words, national dress was
always a work of fiction even before fantasy costume became de-rigueur to represent Puerto Rico at the
Miss Universe pageant.

We also contextualize the changes in the approach to the Puerto Rican national costume within changes
and trends for general national costumes in other contestantspaying particular attention to Latin
American countries. This should highlight a global trend in fashion discourse and on the discussion of
what is perceived as acceptable to represent nationality and the essence of a country on a global stage
such as Miss Universe. A look at the Miss Universe pageant national costumes then reveals the way
participants, fashion designers and event organizers have decided to brand the country and to brand the
concept of the national as expressed through dress and fashion as a communication device. The
narrative created through the costumes worn by Puerto Rican contestants for the Miss Universe pageant
offers the possibility to identify different ways in which the national has been expressed.



Biography:
Jos Blanco F. is an Associate Professor in the Textiles, Merchandising and Interiors Department at the
University of Georgias College of Family and Consumer Sciences and manager of the colleges
Historic Clothing and Textile Collection. He is originally from Costa Rica and has a Ph.D. in Theater
from Florida State University. His current research focuses on dress and popular culture in the second
half of the twentieth century with an emphasis on male fashion. He is also interested in fashion and
visual culture in Latin America and the application of Jungian archetypal analysis to fashion. Jos is the
Vice-president of Education for the Costume Society of America.
Ral J. Vzquez-Lpez is a Spanish Instructor and Preceptor in the Department of Romance Languages
at the University of Georgia in Athens. During his time at UGA, he has taught Spanish at multiple
levels, including Elementary Spanish, Intermediate Spanish, Advanced Conversation and Composition,
Business Spanish, and Medical Spanish. His ongoing research focuses on Puerto Rican popular culture.
Along with his partner, he has presented and published about t he Festival de Mscaras, Latin American
Vedettes, and Puerto Rican peasants or Jbaros. When not grading, planning class, and answering
emails, Ral is traveling, watching movies, or weaving.