Local Somali Leader Praises Halima Aden for Pushing the Boundaries of Beauty in SI

Aden is the first model to wear a hijab and burkini in Sports Illustrated's Swimsuit Issue

FARGO, N.D. — A local Somali leader says she’s proud to see Halima Aden preserving her values while pushing the boundaries of beauty.

Aden is the first model to wear a hijab and burkini in Sports Illustrated’s swimsuit issue. She was born in a refugee camp in Kenya and grew up in St. Cloud.

She is also the first Miss Minnesota pageant contestant to compete wearing a hijab.

“This is really a good way of starting a change, because women were almost nude in the pictures, and she changed that concept,” Fowzia Adde, executive director at the Immigrant Development Center, said.

Adde also says Muslim girls can now be more encouraged to model, and children can look up to Aden.