A first

As a relative newcomer in a field of contestants who had been intensely schooled on the intricacies of the pageant circuit from youth, it was only natural for Rima Fakih to feel a bit nervous at the Miss Michigan USA pageant in Port Huron.

But ultimately, it was the advice of her father Hussein that allowed her to keep her composure.

"I've always followed what my dad told me, and that's "Be yourself," Fakih said.
It was a principle Fakih applied to everything in her run for the crown, from the way she carried herself and spoke in interviews to her style of makeup and the unique-looking dress she bought from an Arab American-owned boutique in West Bloomfield.
And in the end, her plan worked, as Fakih was crowned the first-ever Arab American Miss Michigan USA on September 19.

 

Initially I try to root for the sisters  or the latinas whenever my ex used to make me watch this program, but when I noticed Rima Fakih, I couldn't stop watching. For 2 reasons. #1 she was gorgeous, and #2 , she's an Arab American, of Lebanese Descent.

and she won, Miss USA 2010!!

and as I write this blog, my ex called me to tell me about it. She, being Persian, knows that I have an affinity for the Persian and Arab culture as well as my own.