Nadeen Ayoub, the inaugural Miss Palestine, is set to become the first Palestinian to compete on the international stage of beauty pageantry. Ayoub was born in the United States to Iraqi immigrants. Having lived between Ramallah in the West Bank and the US, this duality produces an extraordinary hybrid of cultures and experiences. She did her secondary and post-secondary education in Canada. Once again in Ramallah, she has devoted her life and work to empowering Palestinian women and girls.
Operating through the Miss Palestine organization, Ayoub founded Sayidat Falasteen (Palestinian Women) as the inaugural Miss Palestine. The organization focuses on initiatives such as education and supporting women-owned small businesses, aiming to empower Palestinian women and girls in various aspects of life.
Along with this interpretive lens, Miss Ayoub was going to compete in her native Morocco’s first Miss Universe pageant. With the war in Gaza escalating, she chose to delay her debut. The ongoing conflict has created widespread destruction and despair throughout the region. According to the most recent estimates from Palestinian health officials, at least 68,000 others have been injured since October 7. This experience has only deepened her motivation to bring her people, and their plight, to an international stage.
Last year, Ayoub caused a sensation at the Miss Earth pageant. Incredibly, she made it through to the final five contestants. Her path illustrates her deep ambition, but perhaps even more so her desire to fight for her community.
“Miss Universe is the biggest platform for women’s celebration. It’s almost like the Olympics of women’s beauty,” – Nadeen Ayoub
The Miss Universe pageant has undergone significant make-overs over the last several years. They’ve done away with age limits and now invite married and divorced contestants to compete. It is the second of the world’s big four beauty pageants, and one of the most popular, with over 100 million viewers worldwide. In 2022, Thai company JKN Global Group bought the competition for USD 20 million. Upon completing this deal Anne Jakapong Jakrajutatip became the first transgender woman to own it.
Ayoub’s Miss Palestine experience is much more than a beauty pageant. More than that, it boldly asserts the uniqueness of Palestinian identity on a global stage. Ironically, or perhaps appropriately enough, she’s traveled widely on official business. In addition to Puerto Rico, her work has brought her to places like Vietnam, Aruba, Colombia and India. With each of these experiences, she hopes to change the way people see Palestine.
“They can see Palestine from a different perspective,” – Nadeen Ayoub
This irony between the spectacle of beauty pageants and the increasing geopolitical realities ignited necessary arguments within feminism and across activist spaces. Scholars such as Hannah McCann have highlighted the dramatic difference. Though pageantry can sometimes seem like all glitz and glam, the realities for women living in conflict-affected regions are anything but.
“You had feminists and women’s activists who were also saying similar things [to right-wing groups] about revealing the body,” – Hannah McCann
This criticism, say critics, is indicative of something bigger—the way femininity is shaped and portrayed in our culture. For all that do McCann’s arguments, we must critique beauty standards. He cautioned against going after specific women and instead, going after systemic structures.
“That obviously is a problem with some modes of feminism, which kind of target women rather than the structures,” – Hannah McCann
For Ayoub, the pageant is an exciting platform to both promote the advocacy for change and recognize beauty in all shapes and forms. She speaks out on how today’s beauty standards should focus on inner beauty and standing up for important issues.
“The concept of beauty has changed. It’s a lot about inner beauty, and being a voice and … an advocate for important causes,” – Nadeen Ayoub
Ayoub’s representation of Palestine at the Miss Universe competition is important politically and culturally. Second, it serves as an assertion that Palestine is a nation, one that pushes back against the defense of established geopolitical narratives.
“It asserts that this is a nation, and part of the campaign for Palestinian freedom and autonomy is the assertion of Palestine as a nation,” – Hannah McCann
Yet, even amidst the glitz and glam of beauty pageants, exists a deep entanglement between womanhood, independence, and culture. Ayoub’s story provides insight on these intersections by weaving together her pursuit of personal dreams with a desire to advocate for her community.
“I remembered myself as a child with all these dreams and hopes and love of life. And I know that these children aren’t any different,” – Nadeen Ayoub
