A new Miss Lebanon has been crowned, with Lebanese American University Pharmacy student Maya Reaidy, 22, taking home the honours at a ceremony in Beirut last night.
She wore a beautiful feathered dress by Lebanese designer Nicolas Jebran - who dressed all of the contestants on the night, and was on the judging panel alongside Nancy Ajram and the current Miss Universe, Miss South Africa, Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters.
Maya Reaidy will now go on to compete in Miss Universe in December in Bangkok: the only time a Lebanese pageant queen has won Miss Universe was in 1971 with Georgina Rizk. Many people have taken to social media to share photos of Reaidy and Rizk in 1971 to point out how similar they look (and pointing out that they hope this is a sign that Lebanon will take home the universal crown again):
The fan favourite before the event was, if you go by social media, Mira Toufaily, a 26-year-old interior design student who was raised by SOS Children's Villages from when she was almost two until she was 14, after which she lived at Jeita Youth House. She came in second place.
American hip hop star French Montana, Lebanese pop singer and TV personality Maya Diab and Lebanese Canadian R&B/pop singer Massari performed their remake of Amr Diab's 1996 hit song Nour El Ein on the night too. Read more about that collaboration here. We didn't expect to see French Montana at MIss Lebanon. But when you consider that this year's competition was organised by Miss America 2010, Rima Fakih, who is married to Tony Sal, French Montana's manager, it makes more sense.
Watch all the different winners be crowned here:
______________________
Read more:
The beauty pageant where all the contestants miss Lebanon
Miss Lebanon Emigrant 2018 urges Lebanese diaspora to register as citizens
______________________
