{"id":42412,"date":"2025-04-21T07:00:52","date_gmt":"2025-04-21T01:30:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.globalindian.com\/youth\/?post_type=story&p=42412"},"modified":"2025-04-21T15:40:19","modified_gmt":"2025-04-21T10:10:19","slug":"lenore-zainab-miss-canada-novacosmo-2025-championing-diversity-through-skin-coloured-crayon","status":"publish","type":"story","link":"https:\/\/old.globalindian.com\/youth\/story\/cover-story\/lenore-zainab-miss-canada-novacosmo-2025-championing-diversity-through-skin-coloured-crayon\/","title":{"rendered":"Lenore Zainab: Miss Canada NovaCosmo 2025 championing diversity through Skin-Coloured Crayon\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

(April 21, 2025) <\/strong>At twenty, Lenore Zainab wears her crown not just as a symbol of beauty, but as an emblem of voice, vision, and purpose. Born to Indian-Malayali parents in the cultural mosaic of Canada, she was recently crowned Miss Canada NovaCosmo 2025. For her the title glitters far beyond the stage lights and sequins. Lenore looks at the runway as a megaphone, less a destination and more a place to be seen and truly heard.<\/p>\n

\u201cPageantry, to me, is so much more than crowns and gowns,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s a powerful platform where purpose meets passion, where individuals are empowered to grow, inspire, and make a difference.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Her ascent from a multicultural upbringing in Canada’s Calgary to the global spotlight of NovaCosmo is a tale of deep conviction. With every stride she takes, the founder of Skin-Coloured Crayon<\/a> initiative who has also won Miss Ottawa pageant in 2024 tries to bring forward a clear message that beauty is not one-dimensional. She believes that the power lies in being heard, and that true beauty queens don\u2019t just wear crowns, rather help the world change for the better. Lenore is set to represent Canada in NovaCosmo Worldwide, this October.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Indians

A name, a story, a beginning<\/b><\/h4>\n

Lenore was named after Linor Abargil, the Israeli winner of Miss World 1998 and a survivor whose advocacy work resonated deeply with Lenore\u2019s mother, Fathima Rahman. Raised in a warm and supportive household alongside her two younger brothers, Lenore grew up watching her mother\u2019s quiet strength and her father Dr. Muhammad Libab\u2019s commitment to community as a pediatrician at Calgary Foothills Hospital. That familial foundation shaped her identity and continues to be a source of strength.<\/span><\/p>\n

She credits her mother as the reason she has made it this far, often calling her \u201cthe most important person in my life.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

From Ottawa to the world stage<\/b><\/h4>\n

In 2024 when Lenore won the Miss Ottawa title she captured national attention for her grace and poise, but more importantly for voice on inclusivity and diversity. Her subsequent win at the Miss Canada NovaCosmo 2025 pageant now places her on the global stage, where she will represent Canada at the NovaCosmo Worldwide competition later this year. What makes NovaCosmo unique among international pageants is its core mission to celebrate intelligence, leadership, and compassion, not just beauty.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Indians

Now in its second year, the NovaCosmo Worldwide Pageant opens its doors to contestants from every walk of life, embracing stories of resilience, intersection, and identity. In many ways, it feels tailor-made for someone like Lenore.<\/span><\/p>\n

Her participation is more than just about representing Canada. It\u2019s about representing every young woman who has ever felt unseen, misjudged, or overlooked because she didn\u2019t fit a conventional mold. And it\u2019s about pushing back against the very idea that there\u2019s a single definition of beauty.<\/span><\/p>\n

Building a platform, One crayon at a time<\/b><\/h4>\n

Before she walked across a stage in evening gowns and sashes, Lenore was building a movement. In 2022, she launched Skin-Coloured Crayons, a platform that began with the simple idea of challenging the lack of representation for people of colour. The name, she says, was inspired by a childhood memory, which was growing up believing \u201cpeach\u201d was the colour of skin because that\u2019s what the crayon box said. It wasn\u2019t until later that she realized the implied erasure in that label.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGrowing up as a brown woman, I understood \u2018skin-coloured\u2019 to mean \u2018peach.\u2019 At the time, I didn\u2019t realize that this so-called \u2018skin colour\u2019 didn\u2019t match my own,\u201d she explains. \u201cIn fact, until 1962, Crayola called the colour peach \u2018flesh\u2019, a label that implied a single standard for skin tone.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Indians

Today, Skin-Coloured Crayons are more than a clever metaphor. It\u2019s a living, breathing social advocacy initiative that has brought together over 30 women from diverse backgrounds to share stories, create art, and lead conversations on human rights, race, and feminism. Much of its work happens online, especially through Instagram where Lenore actively engages with a growing community of changemakers and creatives.<\/span><\/p>\n

Intersectional feminism at the forefront<\/b><\/h4>\n

Lenore\u2019s activism is all about deep commitment to intersectional feminism\u2014a framework that recognizes how overlapping identities such as race, gender, and religion can compound discrimination. Through her platform, Lenore directly confronts the limitations of \u201cwhite feminism,\u201d which often overlooks the unique challenges faced by women of colour, LGBTQ+ individuals, and others living at marginalized intersections.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIntersectional feminism acknowledges the multiple layers of discrimination an individual can face, whether based on race, religion, sexual orientation, gender, ethnicity, or more,\u201d she explained. \u201cI created Skin-Coloured Crayons to challenge these inequalities and amplify diverse voices.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Education, empowerment, and equity form the three pillars of Lenore\u2019s movement. She frequently gives school presentations to teach younger generations about inclusion, plans to distribute crayon sets in diverse skin tones, and dreams of building a broader creative platform where underrepresented artists can shine. It\u2019s a grassroots approach that combines education with visual culture, empathy with activism. With the same approach she has also started another initiative called Crimson Conversations through which she plans to channelize honest talks about periods, health and womanhood.<\/span><\/p>\n

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A post shared by Lenore \u2728 (@lenore.zn)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n