There isn’t any dearth of women on social media who have successfully battled stereotypes in all fields. And one such woman is Halima Aden, a model from Minnesota, who is making news for all the right reasons.
Aden is all set to create history by becoming the first model to grace the cover of Vogue, wearing a hijab. Aden will make an appearance on the cover of the June issue of the magazine, which reads, "All eyes on Halima Aden: The runway star shattering stereotypes".
This is not the first time that the model is in news. She rose to fame in 2016, when she participated in the Miss Minnesota pageant and refused to be typecast as a bikini clad model. Aden wore a hijab throughout the competition and donned a burkini for the swimsuit round.
Aden has had quite a successful run in the fashion industry since the pageant. She has judged the Miss USA pageant, walked the runway at New York Fashion Week for Yeezy Season 5 and starred in many International campaigns.
The model also shot a video for the magazine, which says, “Every little girl deserves to see a role model that’s dressed like her, resembles her, or even has the same characteristics as her,”
Aden, in an interview to HuffPost in 2016 said,“Not seeing women that look like you in media in general and especially in beauty competitions sends the message that you’re not beautiful or you have to change the way you look to be considered beautiful”.
Aden’s journey has not been easy. According to Star Tribune, Aden was born in a Kenyan refugee camp and came to the USA when she was all of six. She had to take up a bunch of odd jobs to make ends meet.
Vogue’s move comes days after Nike launched a special hijab collection for female athletes. It’s refreshing to see the fashion industry make progressive moves and breaking stereotypes, one at a time.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)