(April 21, 2025) 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.
“Pageantry, to me, is so much more than crowns and gowns,” she said. “It’s a powerful platform where purpose meets passion, where individuals are empowered to grow, inspire, and make a difference.”
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 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’t just wear crowns, rather help the world change for the better. Lenore is set to represent Canada in NovaCosmo Worldwide, this October.
A name, a story, a beginning
Lenore was named after Linor Abargil, the Israeli winner of Miss World 1998 and a survivor whose advocacy work resonated deeply with Lenore’s mother, Fathima Rahman. Raised in a warm and supportive household alongside her two younger brothers, Lenore grew up watching her mother’s quiet strength and her father Dr. Muhammad Libab’s commitment to community as a pediatrician at Calgary Foothills Hospital. That familial foundation shaped her identity and continues to be a source of strength.
She credits her mother as the reason she has made it this far, often calling her “the most important person in my life.”
From Ottawa to the world stage
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.
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.
Her participation is more than just about representing Canada. It’s about representing every young woman who has ever felt unseen, misjudged, or overlooked because she didn’t fit a conventional mold. And it’s about pushing back against the very idea that there’s a single definition of beauty.
Building a platform, One crayon at a time
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 “peach” was the colour of skin because that’s what the crayon box said. It wasn’t until later that she realized the implied erasure in that label.
“Growing up as a brown woman, I understood ‘skin-coloured’ to mean ‘peach.’ At the time, I didn’t realize that this so-called ‘skin colour’ didn’t match my own,” she explains. “In fact, until 1962, Crayola called the colour peach ‘flesh’, a label that implied a single standard for skin tone.”
Today, Skin-Coloured Crayons are more than a clever metaphor. It’s 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.
Intersectional feminism at the forefront
Lenore’s activism is all about deep commitment to intersectional feminism—a framework that recognizes how overlapping identities such as race, gender, and religion can compound discrimination. Through her platform, Lenore directly confronts the limitations of “white feminism,” which often overlooks the unique challenges faced by women of colour, LGBTQ+ individuals, and others living at marginalized intersections.
“Intersectional feminism acknowledges the multiple layers of discrimination an individual can face, whether based on race, religion, sexual orientation, gender, ethnicity, or more,” she explained. “I created Skin-Coloured Crayons to challenge these inequalities and amplify diverse voices.”
Education, empowerment, and equity form the three pillars of Lenore’s 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’s 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.
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Scholar and change-maker
While many in her position might focus solely on modelling or brand endorsements, Lenore has her eyes on a different path. Currently pursuing a pre-law degree at the University of Ottawa, she is preparing for a future in advocacy, not just as a voice, but as a force within legal and policy systems. Her studies and activism go hand in hand, each informing the other.
Whether she ends up in courtrooms or global forums, Lenore intends to use her education to further the causes she holds dear.
A symbol for two homelands
Lenore’s story resonates not only with Canadians but also with Keralites across the world. As a daughter of the Indian diaspora, her success represents the merging of cultures, values, and global citizenship. Her achievement is a moment of pride for Malayalis, who see in her a reflection of their heritage finding recognition on the world stage.
She navigates both worlds with ease, celebrating her South Asian roots while embodying the multicultural identity of contemporary Canada.
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Looking ahead
As the countdown to the NovaCosmo Worldwide Pageant begins, Lenore continues to build momentum, not just as a beauty queen, but as a voice for change. Every interview, every social media post, every school visit is an opportunity for her to highlight the issues that are the focal point of her advocacy – diversity, justice, and self-worth.
Despite all her achievements, there is a striking humility about her. She doesn’t see herself as extraordinary, but rather as someone using the opportunities she’s been given to make a difference.
“Real change happens when we stand together,” she says. “Our goal is inclusion. Our goal is representation. Our goal is equal opportunity. Our goal is a more just and peaceful world.”
Lenore Zainab may be wearing a crown, but it’s clear that what truly sets her apart is the courage to raise a voice, and the vision to colour outside the lines.
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