Numerous Thai and international news outlets have described Rama Duwaji as New York City's youngest First Lady at just 28 years old. Her husband, Zohran Mamdani, won the mayoral election on 4 Nov 2025 GMT+7, drawing attention to the woman standing beside him on stage. Particularly, foreign media noted that she is transforming political fashion with her simple yet elegant attire.
Following Mamdani's victory, public interest in Duwaji grew as the spouse of a politician. She recognized this as a key opportunity to amplify her voice and communicate through her long-standing medium: political art, a path she pursued years before meeting Mamdani.
"Everything is political—what we choose to express, what we avoid, the stories we highlight and those we leave at the margins. Being in this position (as First Lady) makes me take it even more seriously," Duwaji told Hakim Bishara on Hyperallergic.
Though she assumed this role, Duwaji has not been drawn to the glamour or attended lavish fashion events dominated by financiers. Instead, she collaborates with Diotima, a small independent fashion brand founded by Rachel Scott, a queer Black immigrant from Jamaica, reflecting the racial and political perspectives she has long explored through her art.
Rama Duwaji is a Syrian-American artist born in Texas. Her family emigrated from Damascus, Syria. Her mother volunteered with the Syrian American Medical Society to aid war victims. Thus, her childhood involved more than just drawing or writing; she was shaped by diverse racial perspectives and liberal ideas.
Duwaji earned a visual arts degree from Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts, then collaborated with artists in Dubai, Beirut, and Paris before moving to New York City to pursue a master's in illustration at the School of Visual Arts. She was also selected as one of 24 artists from 500 applicants for a residency program in the Catskill Mountains.
Her work is recognizable to anyone scrolling social media, appearing in outlets like The New York Times, Washington Post, BBC, and Tate Modern. Her signature style features Middle Eastern women’s faces with sharp, sparkling eyes and prominent noses. Duwaji aims for her illustrations to empower women of colour to embrace their own beauty and dismantle Western beauty standards.
One standout work is Razor Burn, a 32-page black-and-white graphic novel Duwaji created as a student in 2018. It portrays an Arab woman struggling with her appearance, especially body hair linked to ethnicity, enduring Western beauty norms. Without dialogue, the drawings effectively convey the protagonist’s battle with Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD). The title refers to the red marks from shaving as she tries to conform to societal expectations that reject diverse beauty.
"Mental health is often neglected for women of colour—there’s a lack of accessible resources and community discussion. Many seek therapists who share their skin tone because they understand without needing much explanation. Unfortunately, such therapists are scarce in a mental health industry dominated by Western norms," Duwaji told Shado Magazine.
"Mental health and depression remain taboo topics in Middle Eastern communities. I speak from personal experience. My goal is to normalize these issues and open conversations about mental health through my art."
Her artistic output spans canvas paintings, animations, digital illustrations, and ceramics. She often portrays Arab culture and women’s rights while voicing justice for those suffering in war or under oppression, such as conflicts in Gaza. For example, she created an animation of a woman cradling a large barrel labeled “NOT A HUNGER CRISIS” with a caption noting Israel’s ongoing airstrikes on Gaza and urging support for Go Project Hope, a nonprofit aiding war victims.
Another piece depicts three people standing arm-in-arm amidst flames. Duwaji offers solidarity to Palestinians and families living in Sheikh Jarrah, East Jerusalem—a focal point of Israeli-Palestinian conflict and home to many Palestinian households. This area frequently witnesses protests and has faced Israeli court orders forcing Palestinian families to relocate.
Duwaji told multiple media outlets that her inspiration comes from daily life experiences, especially in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, where she is dubbed “Amreekiya” (the Arabic pronunciation of “American”). Although fully Syrian by descent, she holds Western ideals and is not fluent in Arabic. She also does not fully identify as American, so she expresses Arab culture and society through her work as a way to explore and understand what it means to be “Arab.”
However, Duwaji faced criticism in early 2026 after it was discovered she liked an Instagram post supporting Hamas’s attack on Jewish people on 7 Oct, coinciding with Simchat Torah celebrations. Mamdani clarified that her past actions were personal and unrelated to his political campaign. Still, media investigated further and found she had also posted support for the PFLP (Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine), a group known for violent tactics. Duwaji told Hyperallergic she feels ashamed of the words she used as a teenager.
Zohran Mamdani met Duwaji for the first time on the dating app Hinged in 2021, when he was a New York State Assembly member. They got engaged in 2024, held an Islamic nikah ceremony in Dubai, and registered their marriage in New York City in 2025.
"Rama is not just my wife," Mamdani said. "She is an outstanding artist deserving recognition on her own merits. You can critique my views, but not my family."
Duwaji's Instagram has 2 million followers. She remains an artist, influencer, and the first Gen Z First Lady, continuing to create socially conscious art. Her work can be followed on Instagram @ramaduwaji and her website ramaduwaji.com.
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