Table of Contents
22-year-old Mariam Mohammed is an Emirati influencer, model, and winner of the 2022 “Miss Arab World” competition. Her love for fashion and modeling took her from doing modeling gigs as a side hustle in Australia, to participating in fashion-related events such Arab Fashion Week to signing a year-long contract with Miss Arab World, which has her traveling to Egypt for events and engagements. This is only the beginning for Mariam, as she looks to explore the fashion industry further by starting her own brand one day. We sat down with Mariam after her big win, to discuss her beginnings in modeling, her experience with Miss Arab World, and how having a big following affected her career.
What was your first interaction with modeling and what made you want to get into it?
Modeling for me was always a hobby on the side. It started when I was younger (10-14 years old,) my Mother’s friends would always tell her “your daughter has the body of a model, your daughter should be a model.” Also, one of her friends was in charge of a modeling agency, she was the one who encouraged me, telling me I should pursue it. I am very grateful, as my mother always had my back, she always wanted me to achieve my dreams. As I grew up, people would always ask me where I buy my outfits from. When I eventually downloaded social media apps, I decided to post my ideas and outfits. I really liked engaging with others and I made a lot of friends.
I started watching fashion shows, then attending them, I really liked the idea of expressing art through a fashion show. Also, walking on stage, wearing the most amazing designs is a great feeling. One of the most recent projects I worked on, was with Bareface modeling, where I traveled to Georgia to work on an advertising campaign. That was truly unique, as I’ve never acted before and it required a little bit of acting. The first time I properly modeled I would say, was in Sydney Australia, I had an outdoor nature shoot and I had to put in a lot of effort. In the UAE, I had a bridal photo shoot with an Emirati makeup artist.
How did the society around you react to you being an Emirati model?
I got a lot of support from my friends and people I know, they thought it was amazing. There will always be people who support and people who do not. I am not the first Emirati model, there were others before me. Some people did not like it, but I cannot stop that from happening. I believe that the competition was respectful and there were a lot of steps taken including wearing traditional Arab dresses for the fashion show. This competition is for strong women who are educated, working hard, and have a social goal they want to achieve. (the social project we had to talk about during the competition, was setting up restaurant chains to help those who cannot afford it.) I believe society accepts powerful Arab women and empowers them.
How did you first get into pageantry and what drew you to it?
I was contacted by Miss Arab World to conduct a meeting In Dubai ( where I was interviewed to see if I was the right person,) and I agreed to have that meeting after researching the competition and how empowering it is for women. I was inspired by previous beauty Queens and their ambitions. I told myself, why not, I was always passionate about fashion and beauty. I believed this was an opportunity for me to share my passion with the world. Also, I was really excited to connect with different women of similar interests. Looking back, I made the right choice as I made lifelong friends .
What were your favorite moments from the Miss Arab World competition?
My Favorite moments were during the model training and shoots I had with the other Queens. We were all having a good time while working together. Working as a team and listening to other people’s stories, as they all come from different backgrounds was really interesting. I loved Training for the catwalk as I learned new techniques. I previously completed a model training certificate from Diva Modeling Dubai, this helped me gain more knowledge and principles that models need to succeed, which are effort, and hard work and I learned a different catwalk.
How did you grow a large social media following and how did that help your modeling career?
I began as a blogger during my days in high school. I had other social media friends who used to support me on the platforms, so I was approached by different makeup artists to collaborate with them. After that, when I moved to Australia to pursue my undergraduate degree, I had to work on my modeling portfolio to make it more professional, so I contacted a studio there, where they took professional pictures of me. Recently, I joined TikTok for fun and I realized I am getting more engagement, so I started taking it more seriously in terms of what I want people to gain, so I started creating a more detailed lifestyle blog. I love using Social Media, as it allows you to connect with like-minded people and understand that you are not alone. You can learn a lot from different people.
As you saw your Social Media following grew, how did you react to negative comments?
I no longer get as offended as I used to because I learned to understand people’s mindsets. I believe that, before judging someone, one must think about where they came from, what’s their background and why are they like this. One of the reasons I don’t get offended is that they don’t know me really well. Most of them have insecurities, so when they see someone confident they try to put them down. In the long run, when you look back, you realize some would take the same steps you took and copy you. I just wish there was less competition between each other because there is room for everyone to win. I noticed that, when someone says something negative about themselves, everyone showers them with positive comments, but when you walk into the room with confidence, you don’t get many compliments. Also, I am against bullying and I will use my platform to talk about it more. It is not nice to say bad things to people. I believe if you see something you don’t relate to, you can easily skip it. There are a lot of bullies out there that would say the meanest things, but I know who I am so that will not shake me.
What advice do you have for models looking to grow their social media following?
My advice would be to never give up. It is definitely not easy, and just like any other job, you need to put in a lot of effort. Also, you have to ignore negative comments and not let them get to you. Always be authentic, as it will show, being real is important for your followers and for yourself, as you will be comfortable with who you are. Never compare yourself with others, never compare your journey. Set goals for yourself and I believe you can achieve anything you want as long as you have goals.
Stay updated on all of the latest news by subscribing to the ITP Live newsletter below or by clicking on the push notifications.