Halima Aden on the July cover of Allure magazine. Photo courtesy of Sølve Sundsbø
(USA Today) From pageants to print — hijab-wearing Halima Aden is breaking beauty boundaries.
Aden, 19, is the cover star of Allure’s July issue, which celebrates American beauty.
The Minnesota native is the first woman to wear a hijab on the magazine’s cover.
In the cover photo, the Muslim model wears a Nike hijab, and in her interview, she discusses her views on the garment.
“It’s how I interpret my religion,” she said. “Society puts so much pressure on girls to look a certain way. I have much more to offer than my physical appearance, and a hijab protects me against ‘You’re too skinny,’ ‘You’re too thick,’ ‘Look at her hips,’ ‘Look at her thigh gap.’ I don’t have to worry about that.”
Before her cover debut, Aden turned heads in the fall 2017 fashion shows for Yeezy, Max Mara and Alberta Ferretti. She also gained national attention last year while competing in the Miss Minnesota pageant, making history by wearing a hijab in every round.