Top 44 Halima Aden Quotes

I feel best when I am modestly dressed. It’s a choice I make and am proud of; for me, I don’t think I have to show skin to be beautiful.

I feel bad for my little cousins who don’t see themselves being represented, or the little girls in my community who won’t have a chance to see a Disney princess… who resembles them.

I want to go see Somalia because I’ve never been there, and I feel like I’m missing out. I want to learn that heritage; I want to learn about my culture.

I choose to focus on the positive.

I remember, when I lived in a refugee camp, it was the people who weren’t Somali, the people who came from Western countries, who helped the most. I remember being six and thinking, ‘I want to be one of those women,’ because I knew how much they helped us.

I don’t want to be taller; I want to be myself.

What I have learned is that designers are willing to tell the world that they are here to empower women from all different backgrounds and different walks of life.

The hijab is a symbol that we wear on our heads, but I want people to know that it is my choice. I’m doing it because I want to do it. I wanted people to see that you could still be really cute and modest at the same time.

You don’t let being the first to do it stop you or get in the way.

Every little girl looks up to her mom so much – that’s your first hero.

Sometimes I’ll go with a long hijab, or sometimes I’ll wear my scarf and go somewhat business-y with a blazer. Every day is something new.

I say this all the time, but my hijab, it really is my crown, and it’s something that I bring to the table. It’s something that makes me unique. It shows the world who I truly am.

I did notice growing up that there are so many things, obstacles and things, that people think you can’t do because you’re Muslim or because you’re wearing a hijab. You hear a lot of no’s. That was something that I wanted to see change.

Having the chance to walk at New York Fashion Week for Yeezy and Milan Fashion Week for Alberta Ferretti and Max Mara in a hijab is so significant. It sends a message to young women everywhere that you can be beautiful for just being you.

When I was younger, I got bullied for wearing my hijab.

My favorite part of modeling is backstage. Every day you work with different people, and as much as people learn about my story, I get to learn about theirs.

There is a misconception that young Muslim women are oppressed. That simply isn’t the case. I choose to dress modestly and choose to cover my hair with a hijab; not all Muslim women make that choice, and that’s okay. We are all different!

America has always been a land of diversity, basically made up of immigrants, and that is something I want to see continued. It’s something I’m proud of when people think of America.

I think it’s important to be diverse, and I hope we continue to see that as a trend in the fashion industry.

I want everyone to live to their full potential without having to fear someone will try to knock them down or discriminate against them.

I love speaking at schools. That’s always my favorite because I wish I’d had someone who was like me come speak at my school.

Product-wise, I use a morning and night cleanser. I’m really not a brand person.

I know I got to do something that’s one in a million, to escape a refugee camp, to come to this country and have so many doors open for me. So I want to go back and make a difference and give motivation or hope to all the kids that never got to leave or have the privilege that I did.

My mom and grandma, growing up, one thing they emphasized was that you need to make sure that anything you put on your skin is also digestible by the body. For example, if something isn’t safe for me to eat or consume, it’s probably not good for your face. So I do a lot of natural remedies.

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.

I made a lot of mistakes growing up, trying so hard to fit in. I got so lost trying to please everybody.

There is not one description of beauty – that in fact it has different faces, different stories, and different background, and it’s important to embrace all of those.

Always stay true to who you are – barriers can and will be broken!

I am Minnesotan.

Be who you are. It’s easy to feel like you have to blend in, but it takes courage to live your life with conviction and embrace the person that you are.

We all have different things that make us strong and weak, but if we communicate and we really open ourselves and open our hearts, you’re going to be amazed by the things that you can learn.

I am proud of being a Somali-American Muslim, and my wardrobe has been an important part of my religious and cultural upbringing.

There’s always room to volunteer. I think that’s a huge space to be involved with.

When people put labels on us, it doesn’t always enclose everything that we are. So even though I’m proud to be Somali, I’m proud to be American, at the end of the day, I’m still Halima, and I take things from both sides and combine them, and I make my own little category. I’m me!

I learned that when you stand up for what you believe in, you’ll get a lot of support. But there are always going to be negative things said about you.

I used to be so self-conscious about my braces that people thought I was shy – I just never talked. It took me a long time to realize, whatever, it’s not like I’ll have them forever, so I might as well enjoy it while I do!

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.

To be honest, before I joined the industry, I knew very little about the fashion world, and I hardly knew any name brands. Probably because the price tags were a little too high, and home girl needed to work.

What I do is I always try to educate myself about my neighbors, about the people I meet.

I love Somali foods like canjeero, a pancakelike bread; same for pizza, burgers, and sushi.

Wearing modest clothing is a belief, and I’m not going to say that every Muslim woman is in my shoes, but the majority of us do have a choice.

Society puts so much pressure on girls to look a certain way.

I feel like I’m here to bust those misconceptions and stereotypes of Muslim women.

When you have a lot of women in our state that do wear the hijab, we should be able to see that everywhere.