Somali-American model Halima Aden, who is known for her advocacy in expanding the definition of traditional beauty, made history by gracing the pages of Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue, wearing a hijab and burkini.
“It was a dream come true,” Aden said, saying that she never felt represented when she was growing up in the United States.
The Kenyan-born model used to live in a refugee camp until she was seven years old, before moving to Minnesota.
At a very young age, Aden has been engaged in politics and advocacies as she went on to become her college’s first Muslim-Somali student senator.
Aden also made history by becoming her town’s first homecoming queen. She also broke away from the norm by wearing hijab in the Miss Minnesota USA pageant in 2016.
In an article, the iconic magazine said that they have chosen her birth country of Kenya as the perfect location to shoot Aden’s swimsuit spread and to officially launch “newest member” of the swimsuit family.
The photo shoot took place in Watamu Beach, with photographer Yu Tsai.
