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RimaFakihThe aRab-ameRican DReam

FashionisTa

By

orna

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Confident, beautiful, intelligent,stylish,friendlyareonlysomewords

worthy of summing up rima fakih,theCurrentmiss usa 2010. sinCeherCatapult to fame, all eyes have beenfoCusedonhereverymoveasthefirst

arab-ameriCan to win the soughtaftertitle. shetalkstoglamaboutpressures, aspirationsandallthingsfashion exClusively revealing whiChfamous baseball star has won herheart.

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i haventbeenyouraveragemissusa;besides the faCt that im travellinginternationally, im the first arab-ameriCantoholdthetitle, possiblythefirstmuslim. beCauseofthis, i havesomanydifferenteyesfoCusingonmeandlookinguptome; itssomethingi takeveryseriously, shesays.

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buzz of excitement radiates through the room

as Rima Fakih, reigning champion of Miss

USA 2010, enters Salam Stores. The leggy

Lebanese born stunner looks every inch the

beauty queen with her long glistening jet-black

hair, enviable hour-glass gure and pearl white

teeth; and topping it off shes uber fashionable

wearing a chic cropped Armani jacket. It is

clear the coveted crown hasnt gone to her

head as she happily obliges to pose for waiting

photographers.

Twenty-ve-year-old Fakih has just launched

her Middle-Eastern tour with Qatar being the

rst stop on her busy schedule, I was invited

here for the Made in USA expo and Salam Stores

sponsored the whole trip, which Im very happy

about, she beams proudly; despite already

posing for a photo shoot and conducting three

media interviews her face animates with every

word she shares, her smile never fading.

The most intense aspect of Fakihs reign has

been a result of her background, I havent

been your average Miss USA; besides the fact

that Im travelling internationally, Im the rst

Arab-American to hold the title, possibly the

rst Muslim. Because of this, I have so many

different eyes focusing on me and looking up

to me; its something I take very seriously, she

says.

Fakih has been put under the spotlight on

various occasions and often has to tackle

a

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questions surrounding her Arab roots. When

shes quizzed on certain issues, she places

emphasis on removing the virus from whatever

question is directed at her. I would like to let

everyone know that there is actually nothing

negative about what Im doing. I never try

and force people to change their opinion

of me; instead I try and give them a better

understanding. I think all too often people

judge a book by its cover and its something

that you should never do, she shares.

Unlike most beauty pageant queens who

spend years training and battling in cut-throat

contests in hope of one day winning the most

sought after crown in America; Fakih seems

to have been the dark horse skipping most of

the bitchy competitions. This is all new to me,

I used to be a tomboy growing up, the whole

regime of putting on make-up and glamming

up is only something I have got good at last

year, she reveals.

Both her parents hail from Southern Lebanon

so its easy to comprehend where she inherits

her style, as the country is quickly becoming the

fashion capital of the Middle-East. Her family

moved to America when she was three-years-

old and spent most of their life in New York

before moving to Michigan in 2003.

The reality of being so far away from those she

loves is heightened as she recalls her family life;

overtaken by a sudden wave of emotion, the

interview is briey stopped as Fakhis eyes well-

up at the thought of her 16-year-old brother. I

just miss spending time with him so much.

Ready for the silver screen

Before the whirlwind journey of competingin Miss USA and again in Miss Universe,

Fakih was like any other young girl, working

hard at three jobs to make a living. Not just a

pretty face, she also has degrees in Business

and Economics which she gained from the

University of Michigan. Now her ambition is

to hone in on her acting skills and cement her

status as a world class actor; looks like she is set

for success as she has just completed a movie

with Australian heart-throb Hugh Jackman,

wow!

Not only does she count mouth-watering

Jackman as a colleague, she exclusively reveals

that shes currently dating baseball player Ricky

Romero from the The Toronto Blue Jays. I cant

believe I just told you that; Ive been single and

independent all my life, Ricky and I have been

friends for a while and things just blossomed;

were really serious about each other.

Style icons

The lucky lady has been a guest at numerous

fashion shows during New York fashion week;

yet sticking true to her roots, she beholds

Lebanese extravaganza fashion designer Elie

Saab as one of her favourite as well as Chanel.

During NY fashion week, I got to model in a

private show for Loris Diran; he asked me to

wear one of his outts as the theme for his new

line is called The Middle East-The desert, it was

amazing, there was Arabic music playing and

everyone was having so much fun.

The ambitious lady counts Angelina Jolie and

Kim Kardashian as her style icons; Angelina

Jolies style is simple yet unique, shes so

elegant and also sexy. I admire her because

shes a mum, a UN ambassador and a great

actress, she shares passionately.

No pain, no gain?With an envious gure and legs that go on

forever, GLAM was keen to know the secrets

behind Fakihs svelte shape. A lot of people

think that losing weight or looking thin means

that you dont eat, that is completely untrue. I

make sure I eat ve times a day and never eat

after 7pm. I choose carbohydrates carefully,

usually brown rice or sweet potatoes, she

shares.

Her schedule is often so demanding that she has

little time to complete the desired workout she

envisages; instead she makes sure that she works

out at least three times a week with a mixture of

both cardio and weight training. However, like us

all, Fakih has a downfall in the form of ice-cream.

I just cant give it up, she enthuses.

With plastic surgery becoming an increasing

problem in the region, Fakih insists that she is

all about natural beauty and doesnt agree with

the extreme measures some girls go through to

achieve the look they want. Im not completely

against plastic surgery; however, I dont agree

with girls who get carried away with it - if you are

unhappy with something, fair enough, change

it but dont continue changing other things.

I would really advise girls not to do anything

until after the age of 25 because our bodies are

constantly changing even at that age.

Miss USA 2010 has successfully managed

to storm her way to the top in the toughest

competition in America, has a dream beau, has

collaborated with the fashion elite and mingled

with the big-timers of the movie world; so, what

advice can she provide to all young hopefuls?

You cant be a model, actress or Miss USA

unless you are proud, condent and love

yourself. You need a positive mentality and the

ability to look in the mirror and tell yourself

you are strong, smart and sexy. Above all, you

have to be a good person; Im nice and madean effort to be friendly with all the girls in

the competition. Good luck Rima; GLAM is

rooting for your future movie success!

nowherambitionistohoneinonheraCting

skills and Cement her status as a worldClassaCtor;lookslikesheissetforsuCCessas she has just Completed a movie withaustralian heart-throb hugh jaCkman,

wow!