Her Story ... Woman & Family
Milestones:
DS participates in Miss Egypt contest
Returns to Paris in 1936
Images courtesy of Rare Books & Special Collections Library, AUC
V. Temporary Return to Egypt
Doria spent the next three years in Egypt, from 1933 to 1936, where two events stood out in particular. She entered the Miss Egypt beauty pageant and was runner-up. Her entering into this competition was quite shocking at the time - that a well-brought up young Muslim lady should enter into this sort of competition was frowned upon. But Doria was not to be deterred and went ahead with it, against the wishes of many around her. Her reasons for doing this were interesting. Doria says, “In Paris I had asserted myself in the intellectual sphere. Now I wanted to assert myself in the feminine sphere.” She was criticized by the press and her peers but Doria remained true to herself.
The other important event during this period was that Doria married a journalist called Ahmed al-Sawi (the marriage legal contract was signed but the marriage was not consummated). This was a short-lived union that lasted only a few months. Doria quickly extracted herself from the marriage, promising not to remarry. This marriage had little impact on Doria and she easily put it behind her to return to her beloved Paris and freedom.
