Why Did Miss Universe Wear a 'Trash Dress' Instead of a Luxury Dress?

Thai 'Anna Suangam' Competing in International Beauty Pageant
"There Is Beauty Even in What Is Considered Worthless"
Grew Up with Parents Who Were Garbage Collectors

An unusual contestant appeared at the international beauty pageant 'Miss Universe,' which selects the most beautiful woman among participants from around the world. This is the story of Anna Suangam (24), a Thai woman who took the stage wearing a dress made by weaving together trash.

On the 11th (local time), Anna from Thailand participated in the preliminary round of the 71st Miss Universe held in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. At that time, Anna attracted attention by wearing a special silver dress that reflected light on stage.

However, the material of the dress was not luxurious fabric. It was made by weaving together the top pull-tabs of discarded aluminum cans. Why did Anna choose to wear such a dress instead of a high-end gown to the beauty pageant?

Last year’s Miss Universe champion Anne Jakraphong Jakrajutatip (left) is presenting the Impact Wave Leadership Award to Miss Thailand Anna Sueangam-iam. / Photo by AP Yonhap News

Regarding this, Anna said, "I was inspired by the familiar environment of my childhood," recalling, "I grew up under parents who collected trash, and my life was surrounded by piles of garbage and recyclables."

Anna, who comes from a slum in Bangkok, Thailand, helped her parents collect trash to earn tuition fees. She solved meals with food left by local nuns and earned living expenses by donating blood every semester. During her school days, she was mocked by classmates as the "Queen of Trash."

However, Anna did not give up. As a result of her efforts aiming to win the beauty pageant, she was selected as 'Miss Thai,' representing Thailand, and later had the opportunity to participate in Miss Universe.

Anna explained, "I wanted to show that things many people think have no value actually possess their own worth and beauty," adding, "So I intentionally made the dress out of beverage can pull-tabs."

The pull-tab dress was reportedly made by a Thai brand called 'Manirat.' It was created by connecting hundreds of beverage can pull-tabs with Swarovski crystals to form the garment.

In this regard, Anna added, "There is always a good side hidden in everything in the world," and expressed gratitude, saying, "Thank you for recognizing the value of this dress and understanding its meaning."

Anna failed to advance to the top 16 in this Miss Universe competition. However, she was able to leave a lasting impression by receiving the 'Impact Wave Leadership' award.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.