Halima Aden becomes first 'burkini' model to pose for this sports magazine

This week, Somali-American Halima Aden became the first Muslim model to pose for Sports Illustrated magazine in a burkini. 

"We are absolutely thrilled to announce that Halima Aden is the newest member of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit family," the American sports magazine wrote in its announcement.

The Muslim model wore several colorful burkinis during the photoshoot. She believes "young girls who wear a hijab should have women they look up to in any and every industry," according to the BBC.

"We are now seeing politicians, business women, television reporters, and other successful hijabi women in visible roles and that is the message we need to be sending," she added.

"We believe beauty knows no boundaries," said SI Swimsuit editor.

As the first hijabi model to sign with top modeling agency IMG, the 20-year-old has been smashing the stereotypes in recent years, one >magazine cover at a time. Aden was born in a refugee camp in Kenya and moved to the U.S. when she was 7-years-old.

The Sports Illustrated photoshoot took place on Watamu Beach located on the Kenyan coast.

In 2017, Aden >walked the New York Fashion Week runway showcasing Kanye West's Yeezy collection ... all while wearing the hijab. Aden has competed at the Miss Minnesota beauty pageant as well as appeared on several magazine covers including> Vogue Arabia, >Allure, and Glamour.