Miss USA, R'Bonney Gabriel, is the new Miss Universe

She beat more than 80 women from all over the world. R'Bonney Gabriel, Miss USA from Texas, is the new Miss Universe.

Miss USA won the coveted Miss Universe crown on her home turf: the contest was held in New Orleans, in the southern state of Louisiana. There, she beat the two other finalists, Miss Venezuela and Miss Dominican Republic.

It's the ninth time that the USA wins the global beauty contest. Her national costume for Miss Universe was a shiny depiction of the stars that represent all American states.

R'Bonney Gabriel, Miss Texas, was crowned Miss USA on October 3, 2022. 

Image: @rbonneynola / Instagram

R'Bonney was born on march 20, 1994, in Houston, Texas. Her father is originally from Manila and her mother is American.

She went to the University of North Texas, where she obtained a bachelor's degree in fashion design.

R'Bonney works as a designer of eco-friendly clothes, but she also spends quite a lot of time modeling. 

She started her pageant life in 2020 when she participated in Miss Kemah USA 2020. R'Bonney made it to the top 5.

Then, R'Bonney moved on to the Miss Texas pageant. She participated first in 2021 and took second place after Victoria Hinojosa.

When she competed for the second time in 2022, R'Bonney finally got the crown she desired so much. It was a milestone because she was the first Asian-American woman to get the title of Miss Texas USA.

As Miss Texas, R'Bonney went on to compete for the Miss USA title. The winner of this pageant would eventually compete in the global Miss Universe competition.

Image: @rbonneynola / Instagram

In the Miss USA pageant, she made progress with her award for Best State Costume. In the interview round, she was asked to talk about a difficult issue: climate change. But R'Bonney was prepared for that. 

This was the question: "Global studies indicate that women are increasingly seen as more vulnerable to the impact of climate change. You are asked to create a task force to help address this issue. What's your first priority?"

In the image, an earlier Miss Universe candidate, Kim Duyen Nguyen Hyunar, interviewed by presenter Steve Harvey in 2021

R'Bonney said: "Well, I think there are eight ways we can implement addressing climate change within our careers or our lifestyle. It's as easy as adding a recycle bin to your house, everybody can do that, or being creative in ways you can also implement it in your job."

Image: @rbonneynola / Instagram

As the Texan beauty revealed, "I actually made the outfit I'm wearing and I upcycle pieces and recycle different clothing to be more sustainable in my industry because I feel like it's my duty."

R'Bonney's dream came true: she was elected Miss USA 2022.

Images: @missusa / Instagram

In January 2023, she went on to compete for the Miss Universe crown in New Orleans, close to home.

Image: Miss Universe, official website

At the preliminary show of Miss Universe, all candidates wore a pareo with a message. R'Bonney's was: "If not now, then when?" A call to action against climate change, it could also be read as a personal pep talk for Miss USA herself. This was her moment.

During the Miss Universe contest, Miss USA was praised all over the world. Bookmakers immediately named her as one of the contenders for the crown.

On the evening of January 14, 2023, the big moment arrived and R'Bonney was declared the most beautiful woman in the world.

She will wear the Miss Universe crown in the coming year.

Image: Miss Universe, official website