A 20-year-old candidate in the upcoming Miss Universe Philippines pageant has become an early favorite among social media users.
Skelly Ivy Florida, who hails from the island province of Biliran in the Philippines’ Eastern Visayas region, has been called “Black Barbie” by her admirers on Facebook.
Photos of Florida immediately went viral after they emerged online, with many praising her undeniably good looks for being “naturally Filipina.”
Fashion designer Edwin Uy uploaded images of the candidate on his Facebook account along with the official photos from the Miss Universe Philippines pageant.
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“Miss Universe Philippines candidate from Biliran Skelly Ivy Florida wearing an Edwin Uy cocktail dress. Isn’t she a black barbie doll? A very pretty morena girl so deserving to be the next Miss Universe Philippines. Please support her in the MUP pageant,” wrote Uy on his post.
She has since become an early favorite among the 52 candidates competing in the upcoming Miss Universe Philippines 2020 pageant on May 3.
In a recent YouTube video, Florida shared a few details about herself and her advocacy as a candidate.
Currently, a student taking up tourism at Biliran Province State University, Florida has had numerous experiences joining local pageants. In her region, she was crowned as Ms. PASUC Region VIII in 2017, Ms. PASUC 2017 third runner up, and Ms. State College and University Athletic Association (SCUAA) 2018 1st runner up.
According to Florida, she is proud to represent Biliran, noting that it was she intends to promote her province so more people will appreciate its beauty.
The candidate, who stands at 5’6″ tall, says she idolizes recently crowned Miss Universe Zozibini Tunzi for being confident in showing the beauty of brown-skinned girls to the world.
Feature Image via @skellyivyf
