Why Rama Duwaji Doesn't See Herself As Zohran Mamdani's Wife

Over time, we have come to know Rama Duwaji as Zohran Mamdani's enigmatic wife, the first lady of New York City, and even arguably the coolest political spouse ever. However, she notably has a hard time associating with most of those labels. Speaking to The Cut, in December 2025, the successful artist freely admitted, "I never necessarily dreamed or had a very idealistic scenario of what marriage would be. Even the word wife feels very intense." Duwaji continued, "I just feel like a forever girlfriend." Mamdani's super stylish partner felt equally strange being labeled the first lady of New York City, reasoning that the title was far too official for someone like her. With time, though, Duwaji realized that there were no hard and fast rules for being a political spouse, and she could choose what she wanted to do. 

It seems that the artist ultimately decided to support her husband's mayoral campaign from behind the scenes through her art and advice instead of constantly appearing by his side at events. Naturally, though, Duwaji couldn't help but publicly celebrate his win in the 2025 mayoral primary. She took to Instagram in June to post some adorable snaps of the happy couple together from a photobooth, captioning it simply: "Couldn't possibly be prouder." Elsewhere in her interview with The Cut, Duwaji acknowledged that she temporarily put her work on the backburner amidst the stresses of Mamdani's campaign, but she intended to return to it with full force. And, although it wasn't on her agenda, Duwaji still managed to give Melania Trump a fashion lesson with her understated yet beautiful inauguration outfit.

Over the years, Rama Duwaji's artwork has helped to evocatively bring impactful stories from the BBC, the New Yorker, and the Washington Post to life. Duwaji has also used her art to explore nostalgia, identity, and even to defy conventional beauty standards. While discussing her work with Shado magazine, in 2019, Duwaji shared that, above all else, she hoped that women of color would be able to see themselves in her artwork. Likewise, during an April 2025 interview with Yung magazine, the ceramist detailed how her approach to art evolved based on her own experiences. "Right now, living in a turbulent NYC, I see art as an archival tool, as a way to hold memories, both personal and collective, in a way that words alone can't always do," Duwaji explained. "It's been helpful for me as a tool to process what's happening around me in the world." 

Amid increasingly uncertain times, her work also helped Duwaji to ground herself and feel some semblance of stability. And yet, the artist doesn't go into any project assuming that it will change people's minds because she feels that is very ego-centric. Instead, Duwaji remains solely focused on creating work that holds some meaning to her personally. Although the artist remains humble as ever, she did indeed make history when Zohran Mamdani won the New York City mayoral elections. She not only became the youngest first lady of NYC in history at 28, but also the first Muslim woman to hold that position too. Although being in the spotlight and dealing with constant public scrutiny brought forth a tragic part of Duwaji's life, she's clearly making the best of it.