New York City’s incoming first lady, Rama Duwaji, griped at how she’s widely become known as “Zohran Mamdani’s wife” and not for her art — as she vowed not to give up her day job when she takes on official duties.
The 28-year-old illustrator lamented her newfound fame in a fawning profile published by New York Magazine on Tuesday, insisting she would be “absolutely” focused on her career after her husband’s inauguration on January 1.
“I’m definitely not stopping that. Come January, it’s something that I want to continue to do,” she said.
Duwaji, who didn’t give any interviews during her socialist husband’s mayoral campaign, hinted that she would use her new platform to support undiscovered artists.
“At the end of the day, I’m not a politician. I’m here to be a support system for Z and to use the role in the best way that I can as an artist,” she said in the wide-ranging interview.
“There are so many artists trying to make it in the city — so many talented, undiscovered artists making the work with no instant validation, using their last paycheck on material,” Duwaji said.
“I think using this position to highlight them and give them a platform is a top priority.”
Duwaji also addressed being put under the microscope as her husband’s popularity surged – and how she’s been forced to accept she is no longer just a private citizen.
“I realized that it was not just his thing but our thing,” Duwaji said in the gushing piece.
“I wasn’t necessarily offended, but it was more the perception of being seen as someone’s wife. I was spiraling about how, that night, the first article to come out was like, ‘Who Is Zohran Mamdani’s Wife?’ Blah, blah, blah, blah.
“And I was so upset because that one article showed up when you searched my name and not an interview I did on my art, or my work, or the things that I’ve done and the achievements that I’ve had as an artist,” she said. “And now there’s, like, a bajillion of them.”
Despite the complaints about her newfound fame, the magazine noted how Duwaji has attracted a legion of fan girls on TikTok and other social media platforms since being thrust into the spotlight.
The piece went as far as noting Duwaji’s black turtleneck attire and pixie haircut was dubbed “fall’s new ‘cool girl’ look” by Vogue.
The NY Mag reporter also told Duwaji women have been asking hairstylists for “the Rama,” according to an apparent TikTok trend.
“I didn’t know if that was a real thing,” Duwaji said in response.
At one point in the interview, the artist acknowledged how she loved to ask others as an icebreaker what type of fruit they consider themselves to be.
Despite previously describing herself as a raspberry because they’re “sweet and tart”, Duwaji said the campaign and subsequent scrutiny had turned her into a lychee given they have a “slightly hardened shell but still open and soft on the inside.”
