Muslim model Halima Aden’s decision of stepping off the ramp over her religious beliefs shocked the world last week, bringing her in the spotlight within the fashion industry with the most number of people appreciating her choice.
Celebrities around the world were quick to speak in her support. The American supermodel Gigi Hadid supported the model’s decision and said that it was important to “self-reflect” on personal choices. Praising Halima, she addressed her as ‘my sis’ supporting her decision to opt-out due to personal reasons rather than any pressure.
“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,” she wrote.
https://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/digital_images/large/2020-12-06/halima-aden-receives-support-for-quitting-fashion-shows-1607261208-4886.jpg
“I learnt through therapy once that if we are assertive with our boundaries, it does not mean that we are ungrateful for the opportunity, and it will lead to an end result that does not feel hollow, one where we do not feel take[ing] 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. Keep shining, big love.”
The 23-year-old Somali-American model went on to express in her Instagram post:
View this post on Instagram
Halima became candid about her fashion journey and revealed that she regretted many major shoots that she is famed for; stating she felt they might have intruded into her personal space.
She also discriminated the toxic culture of body-shaming in her recent tweet:
https://twitter.com/Kinglimaa/status/1331568882193199106
According to her, many of the shoots required her to cross her personal boundaries with donning the hijab and now she wants nothing to do with that anymore.
“Thanks to Covid-19 and the break away from the industry, I have finally realized where I went wrong in my personal hijab journey. (Rihanna) let me wear the hijab I brought to set. This is the girl I’m returning to, the real Halima,” she wrote.
