Halima Aden, First Hijab Wearing Cover Model for Teen Vogue 🧕
She had a hijab clause built in her modelling contract
“When I got that opportunity to sign with IMG models, I made sure I wasn’t conforming.”
Halima Aden, the first hijab-wearing model to sign with IMG and Teen Vogue’s July cover star, has built a career around being a trailblazer. She was the first to compete in the Miss Minnesota pageant and the first to walk the runways in New York and Milan while wearing a hijab, and she’s just been named an ambassador for UNICEF, a humanitarian organization that serves children and mothers around the world.
“When I got that opportunity to sign with IMG models, I made sure I wasn’t conforming,” Halima told CBS This Morning. “Our first-ever sit-down was four hours, and I did it on my own terms. Every time I go on set, I know that the people who are doing the shoot already know my requirements. They know what I can wear, they already have an understanding, and I’ve always felt safe.”
Halima, a Somali-American, was born at a Kenyan refugee camp, which she recently revisited exclusively with Teen Vogue. Now at 20 years old, Halima has become one of fashion’s most recognizable faces: She’s graced the covers of Vogue Arabia, Allure, Glamour, and CR Fashion Book, to name a few. Last year, she also walked in the Yeezy Season 5 show in New York City.
“Growing up, I never saw magazine articles painting Muslim women in a positive light. In fact, if I saw an article about someone who looked like me, it would be the complete opposite.”
