Maryam Deanna Jaafar is the first Miss New York USA contestant to have passed the preliminaries wearing a hijab. Jaafar was a Top 20 Finalist for the pageant in 2020 and returned to compete for the 2021 crown.
A business owner and influential blogger, Jaafar looks out for hijabi girls by demonstrating that those who wish to can be both fashionable and modest. Her fashion startup MaryDean Modesty offers affordable clothes and hijabs to those in need.
“To show that a girl who was modest, not showing that much skin, is capable of winning- her beauty is everything too,” Jaafar explained. “That’s one of my main goals. Even if I don’t win, I hope that I inspire that one girl out there to win it.”
Maryam Deanna Jaafar launches MaryDean Modesty
Jaafar graduated from Queens College with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in 2017. She concentrated in Economics and Finance and minored in Philosophy.
In college, Jaafar worked as an administrative assistant. After graduation, she went on to intern in accounting and substitute teach at an Islamic grade school. In 2019, she became an accounting associate with New York-based restaurant chain Momofuku.
In January 2020, Jaafar competed in Miss New York USA for the first time. She launched her fashion startup MaryDean Modesty after the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“I worked in corporate for over two years and during the pandemic I decided to start my own modestwear website,” she said.
“I’ve had this dream since I was 18 to launch my own Hijab line, and clothes too,” said Jaafar. “I wanted my store to be affordable, so I give 10% off to people in need. For the girls who aren’t able to find the quality they need for a fair price, just because some people are overpricing their Hijabs just because there’s not that many people selling them.”
Maryam Deanna Jaafar grapples with pageants and modesty
Jaafar is a polyglot with mixed heritage. She is from Queens, New York.
“I grew up speaking Spanish, English and Arabic at home,” she explained. “My mom is Latina, and my dad is Lebanese who speaks Arabic. I lived in Lebanon for a few years and studied French.”
Jaafar initially faced tension from her family for competing in a beauty pageant as a Muslim woman.
“It all started one day when I was on Instagram, I saw an ad for [Miss New York USA], and I wanted to enter it!” she recalled. “But at the same time, there was a conflict with my dad because of our religion. He asked ‘How are you going to be modest with swimwear, you’re going to be the only girl there that is fully covered,’ …Now that I competed, he is very supportive, especially knowing I can influence other girls.”
Maryam Deanna Jaafar competes for Miss New York
Jersey Gold Hijab from MaryDean Modesty
160 women ages 18 to 28 gathered from the entire state to compete for Miss New York USA 2021. The state’s newest resort-casino Resorts World Catskills held the pageant from August 18-20. Contestants showcase themselves in three categories: Interview, Swimsuit, and Evening Gown. The winner goes on to compete for the Miss USA title.
“You have to focus on yourself and go into it knowing that you are doing this for yourself,” she said. “Don’t compare yourself to the other girls, know that you can achieve this, this is your goal, you are coming into this for a reason.”
“I love wearing this scarf, I try to embrace it,” Jaafar remarked. “There’s a lot of people who have seen me without the scarf and have said ‘you can definitely win without it,’ and I wanted to prove them wrong!”
See all the contestants who competed this year here.
