Tweeters call out Maxine Medina for saying Imelda Marcos invented the terno

MANILA, Philippines – Historical revisionism in Miss Universe? People on Twitter called out Miss Philippines Maxine Medina for erroneously crediting the invention of the terno to the controversial wife of the former dictator during the preliminary competition of the Miss Universe 2016 pageant on Thursday night, January 26. 

In a segment highlighting the candidates’ visit to Vigan, the candidates staged a fashion show donning the terno. Maxine was captured on the video saying “The terno was actually invented by our former first lady Imelda Marcos. She invented these butterfly sleeves and they used this as covering their face. It was called terno because it’s all one piece.”

While the “Iron Butterfly” Imelda Marcos did popularize the terno and its famous butterfly sleeves during the ’70s, its history goes further back. It evolved from earlier traditional Filipino dresses like the baro’t saya, the Traje de Mestiza, and the Balintawak. The term “terno” means “matching” because the bodice and the skirt were made from the same fabric and not necessarily because they were joined together to form one piece.

Here are some reactions to Medina’s statement:

Terno – Imelda Marcos – Curated tweets by rapplerdotcom  – Rappler.com