Arab stars take the viral #10YearChallenge on Instagram

Jessica Kahawaty at an event in 2018. (AFP)
Updated 16 January 2019
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Arab stars take the viral #10YearChallenge on Instagram

DUBAI: Celebrities around the world have taken on a new social media challenge that has seen them sharing photos taken 10 years apart to show off just how much (or in some cases, how little) they have changed.

A clutch of Arab influencers also jumped on the bandwagon and shared snaps taken a decade apart, including the likes of Lebanese star Karen Wazen and Saudi designer and blogger Tamara Al-Gabbani.

Al-Gabbani took to Instagram with two posts, both of which she claims show her 10 years apart.

“No edits! No filters! Just braces, fuller brows and no more highlights!” she captioned the first post.

Ten years ago, she sported blonde locks and thinner eyebrows. Fast forward to 2019, and Al-Gabbani looks almost the same, besides her jet-black hair and braces.

Wazen shared two side-by-side snaps — the first of which was a photo of her posing with her husband, Elias Bakhazi.

“It started when we were young,” she captioned the photographs.

For her part, Lebanese-Australian model and influencer Jessica Kahawaty shared a composite photograph in which she looks almost identical in the two snaps.

“20-year-old me and 30-year-old me #10yearchallenge,” she captioned the post, adding “I love this little challenge. Shows how much we have all evolved and a good excuse to dig up memorable pictures — with memorable eyebrows lol (sic).”

Although her hair is slightly shorter in 2019 and her eyebrows are fuller, the humanitarian and event host looks largely unchanged.

Saudi-Lebanese style star Alanoud Badr also took part in the challenge and shared a side-by-side composite photograph.

It seems that fuller eyebrows are a 2019 trend as she too sported a thinner set in her older photograph.

Based in Dubai, Badr is a regular fixture on the UAE’s fashion scene and even has her own brand called Lady Fozaza, which she launched in 2011.

The viral craze has seen a hoard of celebrities take to Instagram to share their photographs, including the likes of Jennifer Lopez, Elizabeth Banks and Tyra Banks.

Lopez shared a throwback photo of herself while pregnant and then, in 2019, wearing a canary yellow swimsuit with a taught tummy and toned muscles — she may have won the challenge for seeming to age backwards and it’s enough to make us want to hit the gym.


Imaan Hammam stars in festive campaign for Estee Lauder

Updated 16 December 2025
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Imaan Hammam stars in festive campaign for Estee Lauder

DUBAI: Dutch-Egyptian-Moroccan model Imaan Hammam is starring in a new festive-season campaign for Estee Lauder.

The model took to Instagram recently to share three photos from the campaign, in which she poses in a red gown alongside models Karlie Kloss and Paulina Porizkova, amid oversized Christmas decorations and baubles.

Hammam was announced as a global ambassador for the US cosmetics giant in 2023.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Imaan Hammam (@imaanhammam)

She spoke about the appointment in an interview with Estee Lauder: “This is the most amazing opportunity to represent and empower girls around the world.

“As a Moroccan-Egyptian woman, I am incredibly honored to take on this role as with such a long-standing brand that promotes diversity and women’s empowerment in the beauty space.”

In 2024, she was the face of a campaign promoting Estee Lauder’s collaboration with acclaimed Indian designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee.

The brands launched a lipstick collection — each lipstick is encased in packaging adorned with the signature Sabyasachi Tiger medallion, crafted from 24 karat gold.

One of the most in-demand models in the industry, she was scouted in Amsterdam’s Centraal Station before making her catwalk debut in 2013 by walking in Jean Paul Gaultier’s couture show.

Hammam has appeared on the runway for major fashion houses including Burberry, Fendi, Prada, Marc Jacobs, Moschino, Balenciaga and Carolina Herrera.

And starred in international campaigns for DKNY, Celine, Chanel, Versace, Givenchy, Giorgio Armani, Tiffany & Co. and more.

The model is also making waves outside the world of fashion with her cultural archival platform, Ayni.

Launched earlier this year, Ayni is a social media platform dedicated to preserving and celebrating Arab artistic expression by highlighting significant contributions to film, art, music and literature.

In a video she previously shared on the Ayni Instagram account, she said: “For me, it’s always been so much deeper than just fashion. It is about staying connected to my roots, telling stories that move me and shining a light on the voices that need to be heard.”

She said her hope for Ayni is for it to grow beyond a personal vision and become a “real community.”