Halima Aden Quits Modelling - A Declaration of Faith and Empowerment
By Subhan Mirza
By refusing every norm, Halima Aden took the world of fashion by storm. She showed the world a Hijabi model is something that the fashion industry craved. But behind her stratospheric rise, there was a sense of deep unease. Through the model’s Instagram stories, she recently spoke out about the pain of losing her identity and compromising her core beliefs as her Hijab was being exploiting as a marketing ploy.
The Hijab is a headscarf which covers the head and chest, summoning a feeling of modesty in the exterior, as well as in the interior. As a religious garment, it allows Muslim women to show their powerful relationship with their faith and roots.
Halima took to Instagram stories where she highlighted the fact that she has strayed away from her religion, a key part of who she is. She reflected on how the coronavirus pandemic had given her time to pause and think about what her values are as a Muslim woman.
Dissecting each part of the model’s career from huge editorials, runway shows to commercial, Halima showed a calamitous side to the industry, where inclusivity is superficially celebrated but not practised. Models like Halima were, in her estimation, used as tools for exposure and profit-making. Halima described photoshoots for fashion conglomerates where she had to compromise her modesty. For instance, when Halima became the face of the brand American Eagle she was styled with multiple pairs of jeans on her head. The concept of having jeans to replace the Hijab for the image had been insensitive to Halima’s faith.
“I had to delete this off my page because honestly, this wasn’t representation this was MOCKERY” Halima revealed. It was her goal to become someone who represented young Hijabis but this was becoming more difficult as she had started to lose touch with who she was, losing connection with her roots and faith. Halima’s goal was to show young girls that it’s possible to become a model or whatever they dream of, despite their race, gender and religion. “I was just so desperate back then for any “representation” that I lost touch with who I was.“
To the outside, Halima inspired many to believe that being a Hijabi model and refugee was an achievable dream. But her decision to now quit the modelling world is an act of empowerment as well as a declaration of her faith and roots. Conforming to beauty and social standards isn’t something Halima was rightfully prepared to do.
She has taken control of her image and is finally in charge of what she wants to represent. But with Halima leaving the fashion world, it conjures up an uncomfortable argument: was the fashion world ever really inclusive? Halima’s story illustrates how many fashion outlets and companies use the idea of “inclusivity” as a means of marketing and money-making. By doing so, models like Halima who represent marginalised and minority groups are used as tools to up sales. True inclusivity doesn’t stop when you place minorities on a cover or advert. Brands and companies should use Halima as an example of how modesty means so much more than a headscarf.