Miss El Salvador Reps Nation’s Bitcoin Miners with Volcano Goddess Dress

In the year The first pageant of the Miss Universe 2023 pageant kicked off on Thursday – and Miss El Salvador's dress proved to be a hometown favorite.

The contestant wears a “volcanic power suit” reminiscent of the country's signature volcano.

El Salvador and the development of the volcano

As she took the stage, this year's Miss El Salvador – Isabela García-Manzo – was greeted by the crowd of San Salvador with thunderous applause.

Her outfit featured a huge crown depicting the sun and an orange dress that turned red and turned charcoal back into the train. The crown and back of the dress “ignite” bright orange in the dark and burst into a series of bright flames at the final stage.

“It celebrates the transformative power of nature and the human spirit,” says the contest's promoter. “It shows an eruption of volcanic material that marks the country's rebirth.”

During the dress rehearsal, one of the designers called the model a “volcanic goddess.”

“When I think about when a volcano erupts and what an eruption represents… something ends, something begins,” she said. “With that in mind, I still wanted to represent the ideas of the volcano.”

El Salvador has experienced a number of transformational changes over the past three years – one of which includes making Bitcoin legal tender in 2021. Although the use of the currency is limited on the ground, its adoption has doubled the country's tourism figures since 2019.

Last year's Miss El Salvador wore costumes directly related to Bitcoin, including a Bitcoin-themed staff and a coin-shaped Bitcoin costume. Designed by Francisco Guerrero, the clothing depicts the evolution of El Salvador's currency – from cocoa to BTC.

El Salvador's Bitcoin Initiative

In the year In 2023, the Salvadoran government announced a major public-private partnership with Volcano Energy to deploy $1 billion in sustainable bitcoin mining. Backed by Tether, the initiative will send 23% of the revenue it generates to the government, with another 50% reinvested into building infrastructure.

Only $250 million has been raised so far, and that's just for wind and solar-based mining. Geothermal-based mining will be built from the line.

A year ago, the president of El Salvador, Naib Bookel, promised that El Salvador would start buying 1 BTC a day. Since then, the value of Bitcoin has more than doubled.