Cinderella Faye “Cindy” Obeñita, the Philippines’ Miss Intercontinental 2021 bet, recently channeled Philippine mythical goddess or diwata and superheroine Darna.
Binibining Pilipinas featured these costumes of Obeñita on its Facebook page.
The local beauty pageant organizer likened the diwata to Egyptian deities.
“Filipinos have long been in love with the enchantments of a DIWATA, a mythical goddess whose omnipotence can be likened to Egyptian deities,” Binibining Pilipinas said.
“Across regional literatures in the Philippines, the character of a Diwata is almost always a mainstay narrative deep-rooted in the culture and daily life of the Filipino,” it added.
The pageant’s page said Obeñita also “glides” with movements from the Cariñosa, a Filipino folk dance.
The organizer further described the symbolisms in the candidate’s ensemble.
It noted their collaboration with Mindanao’s crown makers Tres Cartera and Ben Torres Metalcraft for Obeñita headpiece.
“Prominent in this ensemble is the prestigious color gold, which is a nod to the ancient history of the Philippines and its gold-producing culture, particularly in Mindanao where Cindy proudly comes from,” Binibining Pilipinas said.
“For these gold neck pieces, we collaborated with Mindanao’s crownmaker Tres Cartera and Ben Torres Metalcraft for the beaten brass component of this masterpiece and ALjethro Amorin Sebastian for the leaves fabric manipulation,” it added.
On the other hand, the Filipina beauty wore the Darna costume during the pageant’s Halloween party last Friday.
She posted photos of her donning the iconic superheroine outfit on personal Facebook page.
“Ding, ang bato! This is me chaneling my inner Darna for the Miss Intercontinental Halloween Party tonight. And yes, halloween came a little too early for us,” Obeñita said.
The Miss Intercontinental bet empowered modern Filipino women on the same post.
“As most Filipinos very well know, Darna is one of our fictional heroines who has inspired many generations of dreamers like me. In today’s times, I encourage girls, young and old, to be like Darna in their own ways. Stand up for something worth fighting for and zoom into the skies with limitless boldness of spirit! Mabuhay ang Filipina ng makabagong henerasyon!” she wrote.
Obeñita, who hails from Cagayan de Oro City, is already set to compete against other candidates at the Miss Intercontinental 2021 at Sharm El-Sheikh in Egypt.
The coronation night will take place on October 29.
Obeñita was among the winners of the Binibining Pilipinas last July.
READ: Binibing Pilipinas question on luxury items criticized as ‘sexist’
Her response to a question that was perceived as misogynistic online made local headlines and earned her cheers to Filipino pageant fans.
During the competition, renowned fashion designer Michael Cinco asked her:
“How important are luxury items like bags, clothes, jewelry for a woman when the national economy is down and struggling?”
Obeñita’s response was:
“In life, we always find ourselves at a crossroad of choices. Women always have a choice whether to prioritize luxury items while we are facing a pandemic and also, we have a choice to embrace a concept of a new beautiful which is responsive to the needs of time, adaptive to the change of times.”
“And I think I will choose to be that woman who understand the problems of the Philippines, the problems of my community, so that we will be able to uplift each other and I will be that kind of woman who will comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.”
