Sports Illustrated To Feature Burkini-Clad Model
Breaking all barriers and shattering perceptions
For the first time, Sports Illustrated’s annual swimsuit issue will feature a Muslim model wearing a hijab and burkini. The issue is mostly known for showcasing scantily-clad models in racy photos so this is quite a departure.
Somali-American model Halima Aden’s shoot will be set in Kenya, where she born in a refugee camp and lived until the age of seven.
“Growing up in the States, I never really felt represented because I never could flip through a magazine and see a girl who was wearing a hijab,” Aden said in a video tweeted by Sports Illustrated.
“I never really felt represented because I never could flip through a magazine and see a girl who was wearing a hijab.” #ShatteringPerceptions pic.twitter.com/EtNfpszcmy
— Sports Illustrated Swimsuit (@SI_Swimsuit) April 29, 2019
Halima, 21, made headlines when she was 19, when she was the first woman to wear a hijab in the Miss Minnesota USA Pageant, where she made the semi-finals in 2016.
She has previously been featured on the cover of British Vogue and walked on the New York Fashion Week runway.
Main Image via Twitter / @SI_Swimsuit