Saudi Arabia might host its first Miss Universe contender. We’ll make a decision on the National Director for Saudi Arabia very, very soon,” she stated, adding that it was “probable” that Saudi Arabia would have a competitor before the competition’s September 2019 Mexico edition. The announcement followed after Saudi model Rumy al-Qahtani, who has hundreds of thousands of Instagram followers, made waves online in late March by posting on the platform that she was “honoured” to represent Saudi Arabia at Miss Universe. Pictures of Qahtani, a 27-year-old Riyadh resident, carrying the green Saudi flag while wearing a sequined dress were included in the post.
In a statement released less than a week later, Miss Universe called Qahtani’s tweet “false and misleading” and said that no selection process had taken place in the Gulf state. If a Miss Universe contestant is chosen, it would be another move in Saudi Arabia’s deft image-building as the country attempts to entice investors and tourists under the leadership of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Due to outdated laws requiring the wearing of abaya robes and prohibiting driving, Saudi Arabia, the largest exporter of crude oil worldwide, has a reputation for being behind other countries in terms of women’s rights. Human rights advocates claim that even if those limitations have been removed, a personal status law that went into force in 2022 still discriminates against women.
Speaking from the house in Riyadh where she lives with her mother and three sisters, Qahtani insisted she was in “negotiations” to compete in Miss Universe, but she would not elaborate. The Miss Universe committee has reached out to me to serve as Saudi Arabia’s representative. She said to AFP in her first interview since her March Instagram image went viral, “Negotiations started, but it was during the month of Ramadan and I wasn’t able to respond.” “We’re still in negotiations, so hopefully everything works out well in the end.
Qahtani told AFP that she has competed in pageants throughout the Middle East and Europe in the past and that she had multiple sashes from those events. During her attempt to become the next big thing in beauty pageants, she talked about having to deal with a lot of unexpected inquiries regarding Saudi Arabia. One such inquiry came from a competitor in Europe who wanted to know if she kept barrels of crude oil stashed in her home.
She has made an effort to control any potential response from Saudis Saudi Arabia might host its first Miss Universe contender.
who may take issue with her attire or her choice to post a photo of herself draped in the Saudi flag on Instagram last year. “When I pictured myself with the flag wearing what people considered to be immodest clothing, there were some negative comments made about how I dress,” she stated. But she clarified that she didn’t feel any remorse.
Like I did, many sports fans visualize themselves holding the flag, she said. “I didn’t mean to offend anyone at all; each girl in beauty pageants carries the flag of her own country as well.” Rumy’s mother, Fawzia Ayed, expressed her optimism to AFP that her daughter will not give up in the face of criticism.
“I usually encourage her to keep going, pointing out that she’s gone a long way for a Saudi girl. “Before, society was rigid and closed off,” the woman remarked. “Many girls have been inspired by Rumy. I see that a lot of people get in touch with her to ask how she accomplished this and to express their want to join as well.
Speaking from her mother’s and her three sisters’ Riyadh home, Qahtani stressed that she was in “negotiations” to compete in Miss Universe, but she would not go into details. I’ve been contacted by the Miss Universe committee to represent Saudi Arabia. In her first interview with AFP following the viral success of her Instagram photo from March, she stated, “Negotiations started, but it was during the month of Ramadan and I wasn’t able to respond.” “We’re still in negotiations, so hopefully everything works out well in the end.”
According to Maria Jose Unda, a representative of Miss Universe, in order to select a delegate to be sent to Mexico, a national director must host a Miss Universe Saudi Arabia pageant. “We don’t care why (Qahtani) declared her candidacy, but she will have to go through the same selection process as all the other contestants if she wants to compete in the Saudi Arabia pageant,” the spokesperson stated.