Rima Fakih Slaiby: Driven by love and empowering uniqueness

Rima Fakih on Harper’s Bazaar cover. Gold Serpent Earrings, Natia x Lako. Green dress and cape, Marmar Halim.

Rima Fakih Slaiby, a former Miss USA title holder, entertainer, and businesswoman, is the epitome of female empowerment, who dedicates her passions to aid her humanitarian and philanthropic work around the world.

As one of five children born into a Lebanese family, her childhood was full of hardship due to the civil war. Fleeing the Lebanese Civil War in 1993, the family immigrated to Queens, the second most populous county in the State of New York. She was only seven years old at the time.

Gold Serpent Earrings, Natia x Lako. Green dress and cape, Marmar Halim. Green shoes, Flor de María.

Rima Faikh glossed over the unfortunate past experiences, as she prefers looking forward to a better future. However, she revealed, “The strength of my family and our unity led me to become fearless. I felt no boundaries when it came to getting things done.” The former beauty queen added, “One of the biggest lessons was to treat everyone with the same respect because we’re all God’s Children.”

Rima Fakih, the first ever Arab American to win Miss USA

Coral Lace Dress, Helen Anthony. Face jewelry, Laura Estrada Jewelry. Shoes, Brian Atwood.

The model was crowned Miss USA in 2010, becoming the first ever Arab American to win the title. Her win was a monumental breakthrough for all Arab women in the western world. After her crowning, she became a spokeswoman for breast and ovarian cancer education.

Rima Fakih has held many notable appearances, including attending an American Chamber of Commerce conference in Cairo alongside former President Bill Clinton. She also participated in several WWE events.

One of her trips as Miss USA took her to the World Expo in Shanghai. She recalled with excitement, “I stayed in one of the most futuristic hotels, was treated with the utmost respect, and got to interact with some of the most influential people in the world.” She also lived in Thailand for three months to work on a philanthropic project. “Actually, some of my fondest memories take place in Asian countries,” those moments still amused Rima Fakih.

The wife and mother

Dress, Marmar Halim. Hair pieces, Leciel Design.

Rima Fakih married music executive and manager Wassim Slaiby in 2016. Since then she has retreated from the spotlight to focus on her family and charity work.

Currently a mother of three, Fakih has a happy family. What is her secret? To answer the question, she shared a phrase from Khalil Jibran, a famous Lebanese American poet, ‘If you love somebody, let them go, for if they return, they were always yours. And if they don’t, they never were.’ She explained, “This phrase helped me overcome many obstacles. When something or someone wasn’t meant to be by my side, I’d refer to that phrase. I didn’t fight it.”

The social activist and philanthropist

Silver Metallic Full Jumpsuit, Alice & Olivia. Fuchsia Cape Gown, Kenneth Barlis. Boots, Akira.

Rima Fakih is now part of the World Food Program, Best Buddies Organization, School On Wheels, and Children’s Cancer Center of Lebanon.

Wearing so many hats requires her to constantly travel. She admitted, “One of my greatest obstacles was being away from my family and loved ones. I’d overcome these by reminding myself of the ultimate goal – I was doing this for them.” Then Fakih brightened up, “And now, thank goodness for FaceTime!”. She is also working on a potential TV show that revolves around humanitarian work.

At the end of our chat, Harper’s Bazaar asked Fakih, “What are the three facts about Rima Fakih that our readers wouldn’t know?”. She laughed, “One of my favorite things to do is cook. I love to binge-watch Friends. And I love journaling – I have made 32 journals!”