19-Year-Old Makes History Competing For Miss Minnesota USA In Hijab Burkini

Halima Aden, a Somali-American teenager from St. Cloud, became the first contestant in history to wear a hijab during the Miss Minnesota beauty pageant. A Muslim woman who moved to the US from a refugee camp in Kenya at a young age, Aden has always struggled with anti-Islamic sentiment and is well aware of the misconceptions about her religion – especially in a post-Trump society characterized by messages of hate. She has worn a hijab her entire life and has been a victim of bullying and ridicule; by competing in the Miss USA pageant, she hoped to combat fallacies about Islam while also promoting a more positive and progressive outlook on the religion.
Aden’s hometown, St. Cloud, has seen rising anti-Islamic sentiment in the past few years, especially since Donald Trump was elected president. But Aden says the President-elect isn’t the reason she entered the competition – the pageant came at a time when her community needed ‘positive representation regardless of the election rhetoric.’ And so rather than put on a bikini or fancy dress, she stepped on stage in what she was most comfortable in – a hijab and a burkini.

Future Productions, LLC/Courtesy of Miss Minnesota USA

But Aden wasn’t aiming just to make waves in society’s views on Islam; she hoped to shake the heavily grounded ideas about female beauty – one that the media has created over the years, one based on sexuality and physical attractiveness.

‘This pageant is so much more than just beauty. Their whole message is being confidently beautiful, so I didn’t think that I should allow my hijab to get into the way of me participating,’ Aden told MPR News before the big night on Saturday. ‘This is a great platform to show the world who I am … just because I’ve never seen a woman wearing a burkini (in a pageant) it doesn’t mean that I don’t have to be the first.’

‘We were honored to meet Halima and the other accomplished contestants who took part in a truly life changing event. The pageant allows young women to cultivate their personal career goals, advocate for humanitarian issues and be a voice to affect positive change in the world. These women are forward thinking and motivated to not just talk about this change, but to initiate it,’ says Denise Wallace, Executive Co-Director of the Miss Minnesota USA pageant.

‘What I wanted to do was to just give people a different perspective. We just needed one more thing to unify us. This is a small act, but I feel like having the title of Miss Minnesota USA when you are a Somali-American, when you are a Muslim woman, I think that would open up people’s eyes.’

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.