Miss Universe 2022 R’Bonney Gabriel flaunted the “tabo” or the water dipper while getting her hair treated in the Philippines.
The Filipino-American beauty queen posted a clip of her getting her hair washed while lying down.
Her stylists, instead of turning on the faucet behind her to wash her hair, filled up a water dipper and used their hands to scoop some water for her crowning glory.
“POV: It’s 2024 and a tabo will still get the job done,” R’Bonney said in a text within the video.
“Don’t underestimate its cleaning power #iykyk #tabo,” she wrote as a caption on her TikTok post.
“Iykyk” is short for “If you know, you know.”
@rbonneynola Dont underestimate its cleaning power #iykyk #tabo ♬ I Feel Love – Sam Smith
R’Bonney’s post has earned 50,500 views, 2,370 heart reactions, 48 comments so far, with some Filipinos expressing similar views about the water dipper.
“Went to the [United] States and all I look for is the tabo,” an online user wrote with a grinning-with-sweat emoji.
The half-Pinay responded to her with laughing-with-tears emojis.
“True, like, if there’s no bidet in [your] toilet, the tabo can get the job done, [’cause], you, know, even if I’m already in the US, I can’t simply trust the wet wipes nor the tissue when cleaning after,” another online user commented.
“Tabo forever, it’s like we’re married to it,” wrote a different online user.
R’Bonney has been in the Philippines since last April.
ALSO READ: More R’Bonney Gabriel stories here
It was initially for “special projects” such modeling gigs and guest appearances but she has since extended her stay, sharing that it has always been her “dream” to live in the Philippines.
The beauty queen, who is also a sustainable fashion designer, said one of her goals is to “explore manufacturing and sewers and tailors and what supplies are” in the country in relation to fashion design.
“Now that I live here, I wanna work with the local artists,” she said to reporters before.
Meanwhile, the water dipper is a common fixture in Filipino households, where pails are more popular in restrooms than showers and bathtubs.
The pails are accompanied by the dipper which is used to get the water inside.
Medical anthropologist Michael Tan said that the “tabo” reflects the Filipinos’ “obsession with cleanliness” since it has been found, according to him, in homes dating back to the Spanish period.
