Rama Duwaji How artist married to New York City's next mayor will be Gen Z's first first lady

It is the most traditional of assets for any ambitious young male politician: a fashionably dressed, beautiful young wife.

- Jess Cartner-Morley

Rama Duwaji with her husband, Zohran Mamdani, after he won the election on 4 November PHOTOGRAPH: JULIUS CONSTANTINE MOTAL/THE GUARDIAN

But as with everything else about the rise of Zohran Mamdani, his wife, Rama Duwaji, represents a new era of politics that speaks to a new generation of voters.

Married to the soon-to-be leader of the biggest city in the United States, Duwaji, 28, is arguably its first generation Z "first lady". Duwaji is an artist and illustrator of Syrian heritage, whose work explores themes of Arab identity, female experience and social justice. Working in paint, line-drawing, ceramics and animation, she graduated with a master's degree in fine art from New York's School of Visual Arts in 2024.

Her thesis was titled Sahtain!, an Arabic expression that translates as "bon appetit", and explored the communal act of making and sharing a dish and its role in Middle Eastern culture.

It is fair to assume that one does not pursue a career as a socially conscious artist contributing line drawings to niche left-leaning publications with the aim of becoming a global celebrity. But Duwaji's life took an unexpected turn when, in 2021, she met Mamdani. The couple married in February this year, about eight months before Mamdani was elected mayor of New York City, and Duwaji was thrust into the spotlight as New York City's first lady.

In the week since Mamdani's triumph, Vogue headlines have included "Zohran Mamdani and Rama Duwaji are making finding love on Hinge seem possible again" and "Fall's next cool-girl haircut is officially the Rama".

First lady is one of the most high-profile spots in US politics and culture. From Eleanor Roosevelt's civil rights advocacy to Hillary Clinton's healthcare reforms, the political wives of the White House have long been players with an impact on the political scene.