Thaindian News

By Meena Kar
May 17, (THAINDIAN NEWS) Miss America has a new face and its of the Lebanese-American contestant Rima Fakih, who has just won the Miss America title. Rima Fakih came into prominence after she won the Miss Michigan title in September 2009. Born in 1986 in New York and raised in Dearborn, Michigan, this beautiful lady is a graduate from the the University of Michigan-Dearborn with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and a minor in Business Administration. The new Miss America is proud of her Arab-American roots and is a strong believer in the freedom of women. The Miss world Pageant was held in the Las Vegas Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada and hosted by Donald Trump.

This is for the first time that a contestant of Arab American origin will represent USA in the Miss Universe Pageant. The Arab community though strongly condemns the beauty pageants for the exposure of the women. Winning the national title gives Rima Fakih the perfect opportunity to highlight the Arab community in America. The recent controversy about the Miss America photoshoot being too racy has added to the pressure that the contestants from the Muslim countries already face in the Miss Universe pageant. Egypt and Lebanon are the only two nations that compete for the title, in spite of there being 22 Arab countries.

Rima Fakih stole the show in this year’s Miss USA pageant with not just her stunning looks but also her brilliant answers to the judges. The controversial and racy photoshoot allowed the audience to give their opinion on the contestants before they faced the judges. Rima Fakih received the crown from last year’s Miss USA Kristen Dalton of North Carolina.