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Superior US Muslim model Halima Aden quits the runway

Top Muslim model Halima Aden quits the runway ‘because she was forced to compromise her religion’ by wearing immodest clothing. Halima Aden quit the runway due to conflicts with the industry and her religion.  She said she agreed to wear denim on her head instead of her hijab in one shoot.

She told Instagram followers this left her sobbing in her hotel room afterwards .Since her big break three years ago, the 23-year-old has appeared on the covers of British Vogue, Vogue Arabia and Allure.

US Muslim fashion model Halima Aden has quit the runway, claiming she was ‘forced to compromise’ her religion – three years after she was dubbed the world’s first hijab-wearing supermodel.

Aden, 23, who has fronted campaigns for Rihanna and Kanye West’s clothing labels, first shot to worldwide fame at the age of 19 when she was hailed the first supermodel to don a hijab.

The supermodel posted a number of stories to her followers on Twitter yesterday announcing her departure and detailing specific occasions she claimed she had struggled to balance being a Muslim and working in the high fashion industry.

She also claimed that during her work she was forced into situations where she had to compromise her religious beliefs.

Aden said that while working on a shoot for American Eagle Outfitters, she agreed to wear a pair of the company’s jeans draped over her head instead of her headscarf.

Aden, 23, dubbed the first hijab-wearing supermodel, said she has quit the fashion industry after being forced to compromise her religion.

Aden said she was working on a shoot for American Eagle Outfitters and she agreed to wear a pair of jeans rather than her traditional headscarf (pictured)

Aden said she was working on a shoot for American Eagle Outfitters and she agreed to wear a pair of jeans rather than her traditional headscarf (pictured)

She said that she sobbed in her hotel room after the shoot, and that the incident lead to her feeling as though she had lost a part of herself.  

‘But… this isn’t even my style?? Never was. Why did I allow them to put jeans on my head when at the time I had only ever worn skirts and long dresses?,’ she wrote.

‘I went back to my hotel room & just sobbed after this shoot because deep down I knew this wasn’t it. But Iwas too scared to speak up.

‘The truth is I was very UNCOMFORTABLE.’

She also said that the timings for shoots often interfered with her times for praying, meaning she would miss her religious practice.

Aden, who was born to Somali parents in a refugee camp in Kenya, was initially excited to represent Muslim women in the high fashion industry after her big break.

But in her post yesterday, she said she feels she has made ‘mistakes’ when representing the traditional head veil for Muslim women. 

Aden, who had a contract with IMG Models, said the pandemic gave her the opportunity to spend time with her family and reflect on her career.

Aden, who has appeared on the front covers of of British Vogue, Vogue Arabia and Allure, said the pandemic gave her time to stay at home with her family and reflect on her career          

Aden, who has appeared on the front covers of of British Vogue, Vogue Arabia and Allure, said the pandemic gave her time to stay at home with her family and reflect on her career

The time at home lead her to the conclusion that she needs to leave the industry in order to continue her life as a Muslim woman.

‘Thanks to COVID-19 and the break away from the industry, I have finally realised where I went wrong in my personal hijab journey’, Aden wrote. She then praised her mother for providing support as she made the decision.

Aden, who called herself a ‘minority within a minority’ in the modelling world, said that she could ‘only blame myself for caring more about opportunity than what was actually at stake’.  

The 23-year-old, who described herself as ‘WOKEN UP’ in a Twitter post about leaving the industry, also took the time to criticise the lack of Muslim female stylists in modelling.

On Twitter, speaking about her departure from high fashion, she wrote: ‘Fashion was NEVER for me. I am for the PEOPLE! I am for my IMAAN! I have WOKEN UP!!!’

In her series of posts, she did take time to praise some people she came into contact with during her modelling career, including Rihanna, who Aden said allowed her to wear the hijab she brought on to a set herself.

‘I had to make those mistakes to be the role model you can trust,’ Aden wrote.

‘Remember, I had no one before me paving the way so mistakes are part of the learning experience. I did good, but that isn’t enough. We gotta have these conversations in order to change the system truly.’

Supportive: Gigi Hadid has thrown her support behind Somali model Halima Aden after she spoke out about her regrets of not wearing a modest, black hijab in fashion shoots.       +5

Supportive: Gigi Hadid has thrown her support behind Somali model Halima Aden after she spoke out about her regrets of not wearing a modest, black hijab in fashion shoots.

In her short career, she was featured on the covers of British Vogue, Vogue Arabia and Allure. 

Fellow model Gigi Hadid said she was ‘proud’ of Aden for speaking out on her regrets in order to ‘get back on track with what feels genuine.’

Both Gigi and Bella Hadid urged their followers to look at Aden’s Instagram posts in order to ‘educate themselves’.         

On Instagram, 25-year-old Gigi wrote: ‘Everyone should go check out @Halima’s story right now.

‘It is so important, as a hijabi or not, to self-reflect and get back on track with what feels genuine to us – It’s the only way to feel truly fulfilled.

‘I learnt through therapy once that if we are assertive with our boundaries, it does not mean that we are ungrateful for opportunity, and it will lead to an end result that does not feel hollow, one where we do not feel taken advantage of.

‘Learning that helped me so much. My sis Halima, you have inspired me since the day I met you and you continue to make me proud.https://www.leaders-mena.com/6-new-faces-that-reflect-the-unique-style-of-boucheron-house/

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