An increasing number of women from different racial backgrounds are taking part in beauty pageants across the US, and the Miss California pageant is no exception.

Sofia Hanan, an Arab-American woman, is one of the contestants participating in the pageant. Although she was born and raised in California, her father is an Egyptian-born Palestinian. This gives her a unique cultural background which she is proud of. “My dual cultural background means I refuse to be stifled by stereotypes,” she stated in an interview with Al Arabiya.

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The 23-year-old revealed that initially she was scared she might receive backlash for her decision from the conservative Arab world and chose to keep her participation in the contest a secret.

“I was at first nervous of what might come from competing as an Arab-American in a beauty pageant, as it’s something almost taboo in the Arab world,” she revealed.

However, she decided to brave the odds and slowly started sharing her experience. To her amazement, the support she received was overwhelming.

“Originally, I did not want to tell anyone outside of my immediate family and closest friends. But as I continued on the path and gradually began sharing my experience with my friends, family, and social media, I received an overwhelming amount of support from all corners of the globe,” she said.

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Sofia also said that she didn’t let that fear stand in the way of her dreams, saying, “I’ve always wanted to compete in a pageant, and I’m not willing to live with the regret of not attempting something that I’ve always wanted to. I want to show the world that being Arab-American doesn’t constrain you to living a certain way.”

The contestant declared that she would invest a lot of time to represent California if she won the pageant.

‘Modelling not a brainless profession’

When asked about her idea of ‘beauty’, Sofia said it’s more than what meets the eye. “It is one’s heart, compassion and their ability to project that into the world and onto other people. For me a truly beautiful person has the best intentions and strives to accomplish goals through positivity and outright goodness,” she shared.

Sofia holds a degree in broadcast journalism from Suffolk University in Boston, and wants to pursue a career in culinary broadcasting, particularly the traditional Arabic dishes her Palestinian grandmother taught her.