Dear Fashion Industry: Halima Aden is Not A Trend
About two weeks ago as I was scrolling through my Instagram feed, my attention was immediately caught by a photograph Gigi Hadid had shared: a black and white picture of a model in a hijab.
Addmittedly, I was taken by surprise. Not only was the photograph utterly gorgeous, I was captivated by the model herself. Being a follower of the fashion industry, I have knowledge of most high-fashion industry models. This girl, however, I did not recognize.
Upon doing some research, I discovered that this girl was Halima Aden: a teen with a fascinating rise to fame.
From Kenya to St. Cloud to New York
Halima Aden, a Somali-American, was born in a Kenyan refugee camp. When Halima was six years old, her parents emigrated to the United States and settled in St. Cloud, Minnesota, where they have been ever since.
Now, if something about Halima seems familiar, theen chances are you have seen her before. Her first break ccame in November 2016 when Halima became the first Miss Minnesota USA contestant to compete wearing a hijab and a “burkini”. Her participation garnered much attention and praise, particularly on social media.
Aden’s big break came just three months after her participation in the 2016 Miss Minnesota pageant. On February 15, Aden announced (via an Instagram post) that she had been signed with IMG Models, the same agency which represents Gigi and Bella Hadid, Candice Swanepoel, Hailey Baldwin, and Ashley Graham. She also announced that she would be walking in Kanye West’s Yeezy Season 5 fashion show during New York fashion week and, to top it all off, she had been chosen as a cover girl for Carine Roitfeld’s 10th Anniversary CR Fashion Book.
Aden’s whirlwind rise to fashion fame continued throughout the month of February, as she ultimately ended up walking for both MaxMara and Alberta Ferretti during Milan Fashion Week. To end the month, Halima’s CR Fashion Book cover dropped on the 24th and featured not only herphotoshoot but also an interview by the infamous Somali supermodel, Iman. Needless to say, Halima Aden had been unofficially awarded the infamous “it-girl” status.
The Interview
Immidiately upon the release of Halima’s CR Fashion Book cover, I hurried online and looked up her interview with Iman. I was giddy with excitement and desperately wanted to hear what both models had to say.
The interview itself was not long, as both models spent most of the time reflecting on the serious situation in Somalia and the pride both women have towards their Islamic faith. Nonetheless, it was jam-packed with reflective statements made by both Halima and Iman. However, for me, the most poignant line in the interview was made by Iman. She stated, “I think often the West does not understand the history and the privilege of wearing a hijab. They always think of oppression.”
That made me think.
There’s Something About the Girl
There’s no doubt that, currently, Halima Aden is being regarded as one-of-a-kind within the fashion industry. Carine Roitfeld and Kanye West helped Halima become a break-out star within the fashion universe. However, I can’t help but ask myself, “How long will this fairytale last?”
This is not the first time the fashion industry has launched an operation to be more inclusive. In early 2016, Dolce & Gabbana released a collection of Springwear aimed at Muslim women. The collection consisted of custom-tailored, high fashion abayas and hijabs. In August of that year, the retail company H&M featured its first hijab-wearing model as part of its mainstream campaign. The model, 24 year-old Mariah Idrissi, was also signed on to a modeling agency soon afterwards and is now based in Dubai. Mariah’s collaboration within Western fashion industry, like Halima’s, caused quite a stir and opened up various conversations about diversity within the fashion industry, particularly in the West.
There seems to be a trend within Western fashion industry (and society)wherein various institutions pick and choose certain individuals to highlight, thus giving them a temporary platform to express whatever message they have to offer. Then, more often than not, these “chosen ones” seem to slowly fade into the background. The cycle then repeats itself. This obviously needs to change.
Halima Aden is not special. In fact, she’s just the opposite. Halima Aden is a reflection of the modern-day American. To treat Halima Aden as a novelty is simply wrong. In 2013, National Geographic released an edition titled “The Changing Face of America”- an edition focusing on the physical and genetic developments within our population. To put it simply, the edition stated one simple fact: the American population is becoming increasingly mixed. This is due to many factors, such as changing social norms and an increasing immigrant population which will (soon) become the majority. The typical American is now a multitude of races and ethnicities: black, asian, hispanic, caucasian, etc.
When I look at Halima, I am reminded of water, for she is fluid. Being a Somali-American, she constantly shifts and flows inbetween two cultures. Yet, she does not struggle. Instead, she embraces and nurtures, just like water. To recall the writings of Gloria Anzaldua, I look at Halima as “a mestiza”.
Changing Tides
When Iman commented on people in the West not understanding the “history and the privilege” of wearing a hijab, she brought up a much-needed conversation. The truth of the matter is that Americans, in general, lack knowledge regarding other cultures apart from our own. Despite immigrants being an integral part of American life, we simply so not invest enough time in learning about our differences. It’s time to change that.
Gloria Anzaldua addresses the blending of races in her writing titled “Towards A New Consciousness” where she develops the concept of a mestiza consciousness: a sort of survival strategy in which people embrace duality and differences in order to better the world.
I believe that Halima, like Mariah, encompass the traits of being a mestiza and having this mestiza consciousness. Both girls embody duality of two worlds. In Halima’s case, she is both Somali and American. She is Muslim in a predominantly Christian country. She embraces the modesty advocated in her religion all whilst walking down runways. In many ways, Halima can teach the American public a few tips and tricks on how to embrace two worlds instead of fearing having to choose only one. Likewise, the fashion industry currently has the opportunity of a lifetime: to educate the masses one step at a time. Do not let stars like Halima burn out. In fact, don’t treat her like a star at all. Do not isolate diversity. Do not treat it as a trend or as a rarity. Instead, advocate for its permanent placement among your runways. Normalize and embrace diversity. Breach the divide between two worlds, just like Halima and Mariah.
