Saudi Arabia is entering the Miss Universe competition in 2024 with model Rumy Al-Qahtani as the first-ever contestant from the Kingdom.
Saudi Arabia has never participated in the international beauty pageant. But over the past few years, the Kingdom, along with its people and society, has been embracing cultural freedoms. Thus, Al-Qahtani’s participation in one of the most prestigious competitions in the world is certainly a landmark moment for the Kingdom.
Obviously, questions abound about Rumy Al-Qahtani’s background, career and her reflections on how she aims to throw the spotlight on the vibrant Saudi Arabian society.
Everything to know about Rumy Al-Qahtani
Rumy Al-Qahtani made the Miss Universe 2024 announcement
Rumy Al-Qahtani, who has over one million followers on Instagram, took to the social media platform to break the news that her country is participating in the Miss Universe 2024 competition with her as a contestant.
She shared a post featuring herself posing next to the Saudi Arabian national flag.
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“Honoured to participate in Miss Universe 2024. This is the first participation of Saudi Arabia in the Miss Universe competition,” she wrote in Arabic.
In the post, Al-Qahtani is seen wearing a sequin gown of silver colour, with a tiara on her head and a sash reading ‘Miss Universe Saudi Arabia.’
She has been part of several beauty contests
Rumy Al-Qahtani may have shot to international attention with her announcement as a participant in the Miss Universe 2024 competition, but she has always been a well-known personality in her home country.
Al-Qahtani has won titles such as Miss Saudi Arabia, Miss Middle East, Miss Arab World Peace and Miss Woman (Saudi Arabia). She has also participated in international competitions, representing Saudi Arabia in Miss Europe, Miss Planet, Miss Arab Unity and Miss Asia.
In late January, she took part in the Miss & Mrs Global Asian beauty pageant in Malaysia. While the Mrs Global Asian 2024 title was won by Dyan Shane Mag Abo from the Philippines, the title of Miss Global Asian 2024 went to Jesseca Long of Singapore.
Nevertheless, Al-Qahtani gained even more popularity with the competition where she showcased Saudi Arabia’s rich culture and traditional Saudi attire.
Interestingly, her Instagram follower count at the time was around 870,000. Cut to March 2024, she has gained over 30,000 followers — a testimony to her rising global profile.
She projects herself as a Saudi cultural ambassador
Rumy Al-Qahtani is 27 years old, according to Arab News. She was born in Riyadh, the capital city.
Her life as a successful model has taken her to several cities and countries around the world, including Cambodia, Rome, Naples, Egypt and Algeria.
Al-Qahtani sees herself as a cultural ambassador of Saudi Arabia and aims to raise the profile of the country and its people on the international stage.
“The biggest challenge is my personal representation of the (typical) Saudi girl and her appearance, (as well as the appearance) that befits her as a Saudi,” she told Arab News.
“My contributions are to learn about world cultures and to transfer our authentic Saudi culture and heritage to the world,” she added.
She has two sisters and loves jewellery
On the personal front, Rumy Al-Qahtani has two sisters, Razan Al-Qahtani and Gedai Al-Qahtani. While Razan is active on Instagram and Snapchat, Gedai doesn’t appear to be having a social media presence.
Besides pictures of her sisters, Al-Qahtani has often showcased her love for travel and precious jewellery. Her Instagram feed shows that among her possessions are Bulgari’s Diva Dreams jewellery and Cartier’s Love bracelet.
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A fan of House of the Dragon?
In a post from November 2023, Rumy Al-Qahtani is seen cosplaying the elegant green gown look of Alicent Hightower, essayed by Emily Carey in HBO’s House of the Dragon (2022–).
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The post also carried pictures and a TikTok video showing Alicent Hightower’s epic scene, which came to define the Green camp in their war with the Black faction.
(Hero and Featured images: rumy alqahtani/@rumy_alqahtani/Instagram)
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Manas Sen Gupta writes at the intersection of tech, entertainment and history. His works have appeared in publications such as The Statesman, Myanmar Matters, Hindustan Times and News18/ETV. In his spare time, Manas loves studying interactive charts and topographic maps. When not doing either, he prefers reading detective fiction. Spring is his favourite season and he can happily eat a bowl of noodles any time of the day.
