Somali-American supermodel Halima Aden has constantly broken barriers in the fashion industry, she is noted for being the first woman to wear a hijab in the Miss Minnesota USA pageant, she is also the first Muslim-hijab wearing supermodel who has undoubtedly been a voice for the underrepresented in the fashion industry.
Despite the success, Aden said the fashion industry has made her lose her sense of “the real Halima” and made her rethink her modelling career.
Taking to Instagram, Halima posted on her stories, both positive experiences in the fashion industry, and other experiences where she was made to compromise her beliefs, especially when it came to wearing her hijab. Halima wrote:
I can only blame myself for caring more about the opportunity than what was actually at stake. I blame myself for being naive and rebellious. What I do blame the industry for is the lack of MUSLIM women stylists.
Thanks to COVID and the break away from the industry, I have finally realised where I went wrong in my personal hijab journey. I wish I never stopped bringing my black hijab to set. Because the minute I got comfortable… let’s just say I got too carried away.
Aden has gone ahead to delete a good number of posts from her Instagram page from prior photoshoots she was uncomfortable with.
According to Emirates Woman magazine, the supermodel opened up in an interview with the publication on how important it is for her to be a role model for many, and the need to be an inspiration to young women with her story.
Concluding her posts on her Instagram stories, Halima added that she needed to make mistakes to become a role model and she’s in no rush to return to the fashion industry unless her needs are met and she’s allowed to dress in conformity with her religion.