Ah, Sports Illustrated: Swimsuit Edition. Every eighth grade boy thought having a copy made them really cool.
Sometimes we had one just to fit in (but then we turned out to be gay--joke's on all of you!) but until now, it's been pretty Western and pretty indicative of Western culture, with extremely fit women in two-piece swimsuits.
However, in this day and age, even Sports Illustrated is expanding their horizons.
Halima Aden became the first Muslim model in the magazine.
Not only that, she wore a Hijab and a Burkini.
Aden was born in Kenya at the Kakuma Refugee Camp, and moved to the USA at age 7.
"I keep thinking [back] to six-year-old me who, in this same country, was in a refugee camp," Halima said during her shoot.
"So 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."
Halima also previously made headlines at age 19 when she was the first woman to wear a hijab and a burkini to the Miss Minnesota USA pageant.
She also made the cover of British Vogue.
Halima Aden's Epic Guide to Glowing Skin & Golden Eyes | Beauty Secrets | Voguewww.youtube.com
Representation for the Muslim community matters.
And her efforts are not going unnoticed.
"We bonded immediately over the idea of her participating in this year's issue" MJ Day, the editor of Sports Illustrated: Swimsuit Edition said.
"We both believe the ideal of beauty is so vast and subjective. We both know that women are so often perceived to be one way or one thing based on how they look or what they wear. Whether you feel your most beautiful and confident in a burkini or a bikini, YOU ARE WORTHY."
You go Halima! Show them beauty has no limits.
@kileywrestling/Bluesky
