It was on a beautiful sunny yet overcast day in San Juan, Puerto Rico, when all the Miss World Contestants traveled in their beautiful national costumes for traditional dances, filming and photo-shoots. The national costume segment at the pageant is to showcase each country’s heritage and educate people about the contestant’s history through the costumes.

I was adorned in a bright red Somali bridal cultural dress called Dirac. It is usually ankle length and made from light fabric which is accessorized with stones, beads and sometimes hand beaded craftily. I chose to wear the dirac because it expresses an identity which all Somali women identify with.

Different women wear different colors of the dirac in different styles that can sometimes indicate social status. The Dirac originated from Somali coastal cities in the 1800s, created by a group of Somali women. It’s popularity increased in the 1950s to the 70s and due to an influx of Somali diaspora, it was later introduced to neighboring communities such as the Swahili in Kenya, Tanzania, Yemen, Ethiopia, Oman, Eritrea, and other parts of Subsaharan Africa.