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Halima Aden Becomes First Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Model to Wear Hijab, Burkini

“This is literally a dream come true,” Aden told the magazine in an interview. “I can’t even tell you how this feels.”

Somali-American model Halima Aden is the first to wear a hijab and burkini in Sports Illustrated’s coveted swimsuit edition, NBC News reports. “This is literally a dream come true,” Aden told the magazine in an interview. “I can’t even tell you how this feels.” In one image, the 21-year-old model, who was born in Kenya and grew up in Minnesota, sports a red hijab and ruffled black burkini—swimwear that shows little skin worn by some Muslim women. “I keep thinking to 6-year-old me who, in this same country, was in a refugee camp,” Aden said. “So to grow up to live the American dream, to come back to Kenya and shoot for SI in the most beautiful parts of Kenya—I don’t think that’s a story that anybody could make up.” The magazine goes on sale May 8.

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