Last week we told you that Halima Aden has been having quite a bit of success since stepping off the runway of the Miss Minnesota pageant that catapulted her into the spotlight. She made her runway debut in Yeezy Season 5 on Wednesday, and Aden just snagged one of the coveted covers of CR Fashion Book Issue 10. She rocks it, wearing Louis Vuitton, a mean set of braces, and of course, her hijab.
Not only does she look flawless in the image, shot by famed photog Mario Sorrenti, Aden had the opportunity to be interviewed by another flawless person, her hero, fellow Somali model and icon Iman.
The women had a pretty in-depth conversation about changing the perception of Muslim women in America. In particular, they discussed the notion that women who wear hijabs are thought to be oppressed.
“I think often the West does not understand the history and the privilege of wearing a hijab,” Iman said during the conversation. “They always think of oppression.”
Aden agreed, stating that considering many Muslim don’t wear hijabs, Iman included, it’s a choice. “I always tell them, ‘Just look around you, there are Muslim women who wear it and Muslim women who don’t.’ We have to break the stereotype.”
While Aden, who is Somali, was born in a Kenyan refugee camp, Iman didn’t enter into the same type of camp until 1971. When it came to hijabs, she said the Somali women she witnessed growing up didn’t really wear them.
“I’m going to be 62 years old in July. So the Somalia I grew up in—there weren’t so many women who wore hijabs,” Iman said. “When I was growing up there, we all wore traditional clothes. Most of the time we didn’t even cover our heads. I’ve heard all types of critiques—as a Somali girl, as a model, as a mom, as a Muslim who does not wear a hijab, marrying a white man, my late husband David Bowie. But you know, I live my truth.”
Aden said that she also receives criticism, not so much from people who aren’t pleased with the exposure she’s getting, but rather, those who claim she’s not the best example of a Muslim. Still, she’s garnered quite a following with young people, so she has chosen to use her platform to stand up for other young Muslim women.
“I wish I could tell them, ‘Hey, I’m not a perfect Muslim,'” Aden said. “A lot of people had a misconception that I would be the perfect poster child for Islam. So I got a lot of Instagram comments like, ‘Oh, you don’t have your neck covered, you’re not a Muslim!’ My thing is, stop judging women, especially if you’re a man, because you don’t know the responsibility that comes with wearing a hijab.”
You can check out their full conversation, including their thoughts on the importance of there being more positive stories out there about Muslim women and Iman’s experiences growing up in Mogadishu, which is all pretty moving, over at CRFashionBook.com.
The post Halima Aden And Iman Talk About “Privilege Of Wearing A Hijab” And Being Muslim Women In America appeared first on MadameNoire.