Laila Abdallah: Flipping the script on fame 

If you don’t know Laila Abdallah, it’s time to catch up on your Arabic dramas. Now 20-something, the Kuwait-born Lebanese actress has been in the entertainment game since her early teens. Having starred in over 30 TV shows so far, along with a host of plays and films, Laila was clearly born to take the stage. Now a fashion icon within her own right, she’s pulling out all the stops with every brand on our radar; but it’s her touching journey, and use of her celebrity status, that locked her in as one of Dazed MENA’s 100.

Laila has faced more obstacles in her journey than anyone might have expected. Imagine this: a young girl in Kuwait, translating television for her parents, dreaming of being part of this world that they may never totally grasp. Fluent in sign language, Laila would explain everything that her parents, who were both born deaf, would miss on the screen, which inspired her to pursue storytelling professionally—and with every sensory dimension available to her. 

And at only age fourteen, Laila secured her breakout role in the drama series ‘Saher Al-Leil,’ swiftly ascending to prominence in the Arab entertainment scene in 2010. Her acting prowess earned her castings in multiple shows and movies thereafter. Truly, Laila’s ability to convey complex emotions and embody a spectrum of characters is a tribute to her consistent fluency in facets of life most of us haven’t had to think about. She represents someone who built a life for herself from the ground up, fighting for every opportunity armed only with her own conviction and vision, with no connections to ease the way.

But it wasn’t just her acting chops that amassed her over five million followers on Instagram. Laila has made a fashion icon of herself, showcasing her aesthetic that marries high fashion with streetwear in her daily posts. Her gorgeous images have brands like Chopard, Versace, Loewe, and Gucci clamoring to collaborate with her. From content giving us glimpses of her daily life to her wild adventures abroad—Paris, London, Greece, Jordan—each post is effortlessly chic and screams it-girl. 

More than anything, it’s the activism tucked between these posts that makes Laila special. The actress has displayed a consistent commitment to speaking out for the Palestinian cause and amplifying the voices of those who have been silenced. While an unfortunate slew of celebrities choose to deliberately shy away from addressing political discourse, Laila clearly recognises it as a duty.

Her modes are not always overt, but her activism has a stubborn streak of consistency; if she’s not posting an informational slide, she’s making sure to don a keffiyeh while promoting an athleisure set. It’s this reliable inclusion of advocacy in her daily content that reminds people not to remain distant from what truly matters. Her ability to inform while also maintaining her glamorous image on social media invites her followers to engage with pressing matters, urging them to acknowledge that the dissonance between fashion and activism is a luxury many cannot afford.

In conversations with peers and during public appearances, Laila is unshaken, discussing her experiences, her trauma, and the societal constructs she seeks to dismantle. She’s using her voice and platform to openly push dialogues about representation, identity, and the crossroads of art and activism. Laila’s story is one of relentless authenticity and belief in herself. We can’t wait to see what she does next.