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. Halima Aden Read Quote
I like shopping at retail places like JC Penney or Macy’s, and maybe buying a top or a shirt, and then buying a skirt from Rue 21 or Forever 21 because they have the maxi skirts, which I appreciate so much, and then topping it off with something that I buy from a Somali shop. Halima Aden Read Quote
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. Halima Aden Read Quote
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. Halima Aden Read Quote
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. Halima Aden Read Quote
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. Halima Aden Read Quote
When you have a lot of women in our state that do wear the hijab, we should be able to see that everywhere. Halima Aden Read Quote
I feel like I’m here to bust those misconceptions and stereotypes of Muslim women. Halima Aden Read Quote
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! Halima Aden Read Quote
