*19-year-old Somali-American Halima Aden made history during the Miss Minnesota USA pageant on Saturday night by wearing a “burkini,” a bathing suit covering her entire body.
She was the first fully covered Muslim to compete in the state pageant, where she made it to the semifinal round of 15 Sunday, but didn’t advance to the final five.
“I just want to go on as myself,” said Aden, a freshman at St. Cloud State University. “When you have a lot of women in our state that do wear the hijab, we should be able to see that everywhere.”
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“A lot of people will look at you and will fail to see your beauty because you’re covered up and they’re not used to it, so growing up I just had to work on my people skills and give people a chance to really know me besides the clothing,” Aden, who was born in a Kenyan refugee camp, told Minneapolis’ Kare 11.
Liz Sawyer, a Star Tribune writer, tweeted that Aden received roaring applause from the crowd when she took the stage in her navy blue embroidered burkini during the swimsuit segment, per US Weekly.
“I feel like I’m here to bust those misconceptions and stereotypes of Muslim women,” Aden said to ABC 5. She didn’t take home the crown, but the fearless beauty did make it to the top 15. She told the Star Tribune that the grateful messages she received from parents and young women who have been bullied for their religious wear has made her feel like the overall winner.
“That’s made me so proud to be a part of this,” she said. “Just give it a try. You might not win, but maybe the fifth, sixth girl will win. Don’t let anything get in the way.”
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