It's Halima Aden's World and We're Just Living In It
by Zara Khan
Somali fashion model Halima Aden made headlines when she announced the realities behind the modeling industry and how she lost herself in it. Here is how her story played out and what we learned from it.
She first made headlines in 2016 as the first hijab wearing woman in the Miss USA Minnesota competition.. Aden was recognized by IMG models, the same agency that hosts Gigi Hadid, and her career as a supermodel flourished. She has modeled for various brands such as Fenty and featured on the covers of Vogue.
In November 2020, Aden posted a series of Instagram stories where she said she felt like she sacrificed her values in order to fit in with the industry. While, she kept telling herself that she was being the representation girls needed, internally Aden felt like she was betraying herself. Her mother really helped in reaching her true self, who pleaded with Aden to leave the industry and look deeper for answers of representation.
She ended her iconic instagram story with the words, “come correct or don’t come at all” implying that she was done with her faith and identity being ignored, sacrificed, and disregarded in the industry.
photo credit: Nina Westervelt for The New York Times
We can take a few things from this. If you find yourself pleasing others but inside not being happy yourself, it is important to step back and evaluate why you are doing what you are doing. Aden’s strong words come as a reminder to all that we must not sacrifice identity in the name of representation. No one paved the path for Halima Aden, but she has paved a path for us all to reflect on.
