Rawan bin Hussain
Rawan bin Hussain | |
|---|---|
| Born | Rawan Abdullah December 30, 1996 Kuwait City, Kuwait |
| Education | University of Westminster (Bachelor of Laws) |
| Occupations | Social media influencer, actress, singer |
| Years active | 2016–present |
Rawan Abdullah (born December 30, 1996), known professionally as Rawan bin Hussain (Arabic: روان بن حسين), is a Kuwaiti social media influencer, actress, and singer.[1] She is one of the most popular influencers in the region, with over 7.5 million followers on Instagram.[2][3]
Early life and education
Rawan was born in Kuwait to a Kuwaiti father of Iranian descent and Palestinian mother.[4] She has four younger siblings and grew up in a seven person household in Kuwait.[4] Her parents worked for the Ministry of Interior until retirement.[5] She experienced bullying at school.[6]
In 2014, she moved to the United States to study at the University of Southern California, where she was part of the International Academy (Undergraduate Preparation Program).[7] She originally wanted to major in political science in California but she later decided to transfer to the United Kingdom.[5][8] In 2015, she joined King's College London's International Foundation Program.[7] In 2016, she started the University of Westminster's Bachelor of Laws program and graduated in 2019.[7]
Career
In June 2016, Vogue magazine named her the "Brooke Shields of Kuwait".[9] In 2017 and 2018, Rawan collaborated with Gucci, Charlotte Tilbury, Maybelline, and Lancome.[10] In October 2019, she was on the cover of Cosmopolitan Middle East.[5]
In 2021, she began her music career.[11][1] In 2022, she launched her acting career, starring in several Kuwaiti television shows on Netflix.[1] In April 2024, she was the covergirl of Harper's Bazaar Arabia.[1] In May 2024, she won the "Star of the Night" award at the EMIGALA 2024 award show.[12][13] In fall 2024, she collaborated with New Balance as their brand ambassador.[14][15] In December 2024, she was featured on the cover of Grazia magazine (Middle East).[15]
Personal life
In 2019, Rawan married Libyan businessman Youssef Migariaf.[16][17] She gave birth to their daughter in February 2020. In July 2020, she announced their divorce,[16][17] accusing him of giving her a sexually transmitted disease (STD) allegedly contracted from a prostitute.[18]
In July 2021, her mother passed away after a battle with illness, as she was suffering from kidney failure and lung failure, which led her to fall into a coma.[19]
Controversy
In October 2020, Rawan faced arrest in the UK after she failed to appear in court to face criminal charges related to stalking, harassing, and physically assaulting her former husband.[20] In October 2021, the British court convicted her of harassment and criminal damage, she was fined £6,500 and banned from contacting the victim and his family under a restraining order.[21][22]
In July 2023, she was deported from Iraq due to her dispute with employees at Baghdad airport.[23][24] In September 2023, she was banned from entering Saudi Arabia after she provoked Saudis by dancing in front of Iran's flag.[24][25]
In 2024, she disclosed that her lupus diagnosis resulted in significant changes to her diet and lifestyle.[26]
In March 2025, the government of Dubai sentenced her to six months in jail and deportation from the United Arab Emirates, along with a fine of 20,000 dirhams, after she was convicted of public intoxication, assaulting police, and causing a riot.[27] In September that year, her sentence was later extended by a year after she reportedly attacked a female prison guard, and in protest, she went on a hunger strike.[28] She was later released from prison in February 2026.[29]
References
- ^ a b c d "The Indefatigable Rise of Rawan Bin Hussain". Harper's Bazaar. 17 April 2024.
- ^ "MUSE: Rawan bin Hussain talks social media stardom". Arab News. 15 September 2018.
- ^ "Rawan Bin Hussain – Instagram".
- ^ a b "#ABtalks with Rawan Bin Hussain" (Interview). Interviewed by Anas Bukhash. 2021-04-06 – via YouTube.
- ^ a b c "Rawan Bin Hussain: Meet The October 2019 Cover Star Like Never Before". Cosmopolitan. 3 October 2019.
- ^ "A Young Entrepreneurs Story Of Overnight Success – Rawan Bin Hussein". YouTube. August 2019.
- ^ a b c "Rawan bin Hussain – Official Website".
- ^ "Model dubbed 'Brooke Shields of Kuwait' accused of beating ex-husband". New York Post. 22 January 2021.
- ^ "Introducing Rawan Bin Hussain, the Brooke Shields of Kuwait". Vogue. Archived from the original on 8 April 2018.
- ^ "This Westminster law student has THREE MILLION Instagram followers". Legal Cheek. 4 April 2018.
- ^ "'Kan Ya Ma Kan': Kuwaiti influencer Rawan Bin Hussain's first song calls on women to break out of toxic relationships". The National.
- ^ "Rawan Bin Hussain Shines at the 2024 Emigala Awards". Harper's Bazaar. 29 April 2024.
- ^ "Rawan Bin Hussain receives her "Star of the Night" award at The EMIGALA 2024". YouTube. 3 May 2024.
- ^ "Rawan Bin Hussain On Preparing To Tackle Her Biggest Fitness Challenge Yet…". Harper's Bazaar. 22 October 2024.
- ^ a b "Rawan Bin Hussain Graces The Cover Of GRAZIA's 12th Edition". Grazia.
- ^ a b "Rawan Bin Hussain announces she is divorcing her husband". Cosmopolitan. 15 July 2020.
- ^ a b "Kuwaiti influencer Rawan Bin Hussain announces she's divorcing her husband". Arab News. 16 July 2020.
- ^ "Kuwaiti model Rawan, who accused husband of giving her STD, fined £6,500". Gulf News. 28 October 2021.
- ^ "الموت يُغيب والدة الكويتية روان بن حسين" (in Arabic). al-ain.com. 12 July 2021.
- ^ "Kuwaiti model Rawan Bin Hussain facing arrest in UK". The National News.
- ^ Somerville, Ewan (25 October 2021). "Model known as 'Kuwait's Brooke Shields' guilty of harassing ex-husband on Instagram". The Telegraph.
- ^ "Woman admits harassment and criminal damage". Parikiaki. 27 October 2021.
- ^ "Kuwaiti Blogger recounts airport incident in Baghdad". Shafaq.
- ^ a b "طرد روان بن حسين من السعودية يتصدر المواقع" (in Arabic).
- ^ "متفرقات: روان بن حسين تستفز الشعب السعودي برقصة أمام علم إيران" (in Arabic).
- ^ "What is the truth about Rawan bin Hussein's illness and its relationship to her thinness?". Sbisiali.
- ^ "Rawan Bin Hussain sentenced to six months in Dubai, faces deportation". Al Bawaba.
- ^ "Kuwaiti influencer Rawan bin Hussain on hunger strike in Dubai jail: Who is she and what led to her imprisonment?". WION News. 25 September 2025.
- ^ "Rawan Bin Hussain's first appearance after her imprisonment and deportation from Dubai". Saudi Arabia News. 6 February 2026.