Aden, 21, said the huge accomplishment was a “dream come true.”
Somali-American model Halima Aden just made history by wearing her hijab and burkini in Sports Illustrated.
Aden, 21, said the huge accomplishment was a “dream come true.”
"Growing up in the States, I never felt represented, because I could never flip through a magazine and see a girl who was wearing a hijab," Aden said in an interview with the magazine.
Aden was born at a refugee camp in Kenya and moved to the U.S. when she was 7. She went on to compete in the Miss Minnesota USA pageant at age 19 and made history there too as the first to wear a hijab in the competition.
Aden has also appeared on the cover of British Vogue and walked New York runways during Fashion Week.
The swimsuit shoot took Aden back to her roots as it was photographed in Kenya.
"To grow up to live the American dream [and] to come back to Kenya and shoot for SI in the most beautiful parts of Kenya – I don't think that's a story that anybody could make up," Aden said.
Fans took to social media to express their excitement at seeing diverse representation in Sports Illustrated.
The issue will hit stands May 8.
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