The hijab-wearing model changing the face of the fashion industry

“This is American Beauty”.

The words on the cover of the July issue of Allure magazine which stars Halima Aden. The 19-year-old model is the face of the groundbreaking issue which marks the first time the magazine has featured a woman in a hijab on their cover. This isn't the first time Halima has achieved 'groundbreaking' status over the last 12 months.

A post shared by Halima Aden (@kinglimaa) on Jun 1, 2017 at 2:47pm PDT

Starting back in November 2016, Halima became the first Miss Minnesota contestant to compete in a hijab and burkini. Since then, the model has walked the Yeezy season 5 show and became the first hijab-wearing woman on the cover of Vogue. Halima told Allure that she’s been wearing the hijab since she was eight years old after she saw her mother wearing hers.

From Refugee camp to the cover of @Allure_magazine ! Thank you for the opportunity of a life time ! I am so beyond grateful ❤️ pic.twitter.com/BBv8NUFwUF

— Halima Aden (@Kinglimaa) June 20, 2017

“Society puts so much pressure on girls to look a certain way,” the model told the magazine. “I have much more to offer than my physical appearance, and a hijab protects me against, ‘You’re too skinny’, ‘You’re too thick’, ‘Look at her hips’, ‘Look at her thigh gap’. I don’t have to worry about that."

Halima has been receiving a huge amount of praise from industry insiders for the role she's played in changing the stereotype of cover models.

YES BABY ! So proud of everything you're accomplishing. Stay graceful and kind. You're a star @Kinglimaa https://t.co/mPrHyV2YAu

— Gigi Hadid (@GiGiHadid) June 20, 2017

Meet @Kinglimaa. Muslim. Model. Destroyer of Stereotypes. And our July 2017 Cover Star ✨ Read her full intv here: https://t.co/MnRhtwg50z pic.twitter.com/jA2lWKri2a

— Allure (@Allure_magazine) June 20, 2017