Sports Illustrated To Feature Burkini-Clad Model

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.

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Don’t change yourself .. Change the GAME!! Ladies anything is possible!!! Being in Sports Illustrated is so much bigger than me. It’s sending a message to my community and the world that women of all different backgrounds, looks, upbringings… can stand together and be celebrated. Thank you so much @si_swimsuit & the entire team for giving me this incredible opportunity.

A post shared by Halima (@halima) on Apr 29, 2019 at 11:21am PDT

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