During the Miss Universe USVI pageant in September, one contestant’s costume stood out and created a buzz throughout the community, ultimately tying for best costume and highlighting a taboo part of Virgin Islands culture.
As Halloween, one of the most spooky times of the year, approaches, 31-year-old Kyandra Smith expressed her eerie portrayal of the Cowfoot Woman and the Senepol Cattle for her costume. Spirited about conveying the meaning behind her costume, Smith shared her costume’s background.
“A couple things went into the inspiration for the costume,” she said. “Even though I wasn’t born in St. Thomas, I always came down for Christmas and take my summers there.”
She added that she used to participate in troupes for the Carnival parade, which allowed her to incorporate the backpiece aspect of her costume that was adorned in leaves.
“I want my Carnival theme, for the backpack or the wings, I would like them to be made out of the leaves,” she said, when deciding what would make up the details of her costume. She added that the leaves were symbolic of both the cattle and Cowfoot Woman.
Covered in red and white fabric and holding a chain with child dolls, Smith moved across the stage representing the Cowfoot Woman.
When asked what inspired her to showcase the Cowfoot Woman as part of her costume, “I remember my grandparents always telling me these scary stories and stuff,” she recalled. “The Cowfoot Woman is a fictitious person. Everyone has their own depiction of what they look like. In St. Croix they call it the Goatfoot Woman.” Smith further shared that the Cowfoot Woman is said to appear to discipline youths by taunting or capturing them.
Though she wanted to incorporate a mysterious part of the territory’s culture, Smith said she wanted a dual representation of her costume. Not only representing the Cowfoot Woman, she represented the Senepol Cattle of St. Croix. Smith’s maternal side is from St. Croix and her great-great-grandfather was a farmer. This led to the incorporation of the Senepol Cattle in her costume. She described the Senepol Cattle as having a reddish brown coat and recalled having to go with a swatch of fabric to the fabric store to get a specific color.
“Now found around the world and nicknamed the ‘Crucian breed,’ it reflects centuries of dedicated husbandry and highlights St. Croix’s profound contribution to the Virgin Islands farming scene,” said Smith.
Though Smith’s costume was a floor-length dress with a back piece that appeared to stretch about two feet long in each direction, one of the most standout pieces she was outfitted with was her cowfoot. On her right foot, Smith represented the hoof of a Cowfoot Woman, who has one human foot and one cow foot. The cowfoot was a heeled cast that was brown and black in color. A statement piece that left viewers gawking! Smith said she was also adorned in Crucian gold bracelets and a Gucci necklace to show unity among the larger islands in the territory.
When asked what was the hardest part of bringing her costume to life, Smith described the finishing touches.
“I think the sleepless nights of putting on the crystals or bedazzling,” she said. “It took three of us to put on all the crystals on the dress,” and added that the “easiest part was coming up with the design, sketch, brainstorming.”
In designing her costume, Smith said, “It was a family thing. It was mainly my mom, me, and my sister. My little sister really helped me with the cowfoot.”
Additionally, Smith captured the title of best evening wear. Her gown was symbolic of a conch shell, another item found in the territory.
“Evening wear, I did a reveal. For the reveal that I did I was wrapped in an iridescent cloth material. I did it that way because I wanted to represent a conch shell,” said Smith. “The inside of it, my gown was actually pink.”
For her, the segment symbolized her becoming more confident.
“This would be synonymous with coming out of your shell,” she said. She even shared a memory of collecting conchshells from Coki Point Beach and taking them by her grandmother in Paul M. Pearson Gardens when she was younger.
For Smith, this was her first time competing in a pageant and said she always wanted to participate in one. She came on a one-way ticket, carried nine pieces of luggage, and “had a winner’s mindset.” She added that she gained two types of experiences.
“The experience for me was a beautiful experience because it allowed me to grow. I always wanted to do it but my mom never let me do it. Being able to do it on my own accord allowed me to grow,” said Smith. “Looking on the outside you don’t think these girls have all this training. Now I feel like I’m more confident when I’m speaking. I can look in someone’s eyes when they’re speaking,” and added, “I’ve been coming to St. Thomas for so long but only now I’m really knowing people.”
Smith, who usually spent most of her time around her family while in the territory, said she got to network more while participating in the pageant.
When asked about prizes, Smith was unable to give a full update. The winner is anticipated to win $20,000, but there was no specificity on prizes for the runners-up. In doing further research, the current Miss Universe USVI pageant organizer, Jaielean Jagrup, has not fully honored awarding prizes to former titleholders and contestants who have participated since 2021.
Smith competed this year against Britanny Robinson and Ophelia Thomas. Robinson took first place in the competition and tied with Smith for best costume.
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