When Halima Aden was six, a western woman visited Kakuma, the United Nations refugee camp in Kenya in which she had been born. To this day, Aden — who was living in the camp with her Somali mother and baby brother — does not know who she was. A UN representative perhaps? Or a celebrity?
哈利马?亚丁(Halima Aden) 6岁时，一位西方女士探访了联合国(UN)位于肯尼亚的卡库马(Kakuma)难民营。亚丁就出生在这里，与她的索马里母亲和尚在襁褓中的弟弟一起生活。时至今日，亚丁对这位女士的身份仍一无所知。或许是一名联合国代表？或许是某位名人？“All I know is that, just by being there, she made my people light up,” explains Aden when we meet in a café in east London: she is in town to take part in the Modest Fashion Festival, an event aimed at empowering Muslim women. “She was asking them questions, finding out what they needed, making them feel like they hadn’t been forgotten. Seeing the effect that she had changed something in me; it made me want to make some sort of a difference with my life. To have that sort of effect.”
“我只知道，她的出现照亮了我们的世界。”亚丁向我解释道。亚丁和我约在伦敦东部一家咖啡馆会面。她是来伦敦参加穆斯林时装节(Modest Fashion Festival)的——一项旨在增强穆斯林女性信心的活动。“那位女士不停问人们问题，想知道他们需要什么，让他们感觉自己并没有被遗忘。看看她对我的影响：让我想为自己的人生带来某种改变。就是这种影响。”Today, the 20-year-old model — a naturalised American since the family made the move to Minnesota when she was seven years old — is making history. In November 2016, as a freshman at St Cloud State University, she entered in the Miss Minnesota USA beauty pageant, for which she wore a hijab and then a burkini, attracting the attention of the world’s press in the process. Although she placed in the top 15 of 45 contestants, she lost — but she went on to become the first hijab-wearing model to be signed to the model agency IMG.
如今，这位20岁的模特正在改变历史。亚丁7岁时与家人移民美国明尼苏达州，后加入美国国籍。2016年11月，刚进入明尼苏达圣克劳德州立大学(St. Cloud State University)读大一的亚丁参加了美国明尼苏达小姐(Miss Minnesota USA)选美大赛。比赛期间，她坚持头戴穆斯林头巾，身穿布基尼，吸引了全世界媒体的目光。她在45位参赛选手中晋级15强，但止步于此——不过，她也由此成为了首位戴头巾的模特，签约模特经纪公司IMG。
She was then picked up by the former Vogue Paris editor and stylist Carine Roitfeld (“my fashion fairy godmother” as Aden describes her), who put her on the February issue of her magazine CR Fashion Book. Aden has also shot covers for several magazines — Vogue Arabia, Grazia and Allure among them — and fronted campaigns for brands such as Nike and American Eagle. In February, at Milan Fashion Week, she walked the catwalk at Alberta Ferretti and at MaxMara. She walked again for MaxMara SS18 in September wearing a raw denim jacket, scarlet lipstick and black skirt.
随后，她被前《Vogue》法国版主编、设计师卡琳?洛菲德(Carine Roitfeld)——亚丁称其为“我的时尚仙女教母”——选中，登上后者办的杂志《CR Fashion Book》的2月刊。亚丁还登上了其他几本杂志封面，包括《Vogue》阿拉伯版、《Grazia》和《Allure》，并为耐克(Nike)和American Eagle等品牌活动站台。在今年2月的米兰时装周，亚丁为Alberta Ferretti和MaxMara品牌走秀。9月，一身原色牛仔外套和黑色短裙的她，顶着红唇，再一次出现在MaxMara 2018春夏系列的T台上。A charismatic, confident speaker, Aden is full of self-deprecating stories about her first major runway experience; how at only 5ft 5in, a good five inches smaller than most other models and a great deal shorter of leg, she practically had to run to keep up; how she had to have low-level heels designed for her so that she didn’t fall over, and how the compulsory dead-ahead catwalk glare was an impossible challenge for someone with her light-up disposition. When telling a story doesn’t quite illustrate her point, she leaps out of her seat to act it all out.
亚丁谈吐自信，有着摄人魅力，频频以自己初登重要T台时的种种糗事打趣：她身高仅有1.65米左右，比其他大多数模特都要矮上一个头，腿也因此短许多，得一溜小跑才能跟上节奏；需要穿上专门为她设计的矮跟鞋，这样才不会摔倒；对于像她这般性情愉快的人来说，T台上眼睛必须死死盯着前方的要求简直是不可能的挑战。如果觉得言语无法完全表达清楚，亚丁会从座位上跳起来，手舞足蹈一番。Her warmth is infectious, her friendliness palpable. Strangers in the café are greeted by an enthusiastic “hi!” Yet her giggly personality belies a serious mind. “I have an opportunity, through my modelling, to change the way that Muslim women are viewed, to give them a platform to have their voices heard,” she continues. “I’m mindful, and proud, of that responsibility.”
她的热情颇具感染力，令人如沐春风。她会冲咖啡馆里的陌生人热情地打招呼。但欢脱的个性掩盖了她思想的严肃。“通过当模特，我有机会改变世人对穆斯林女性的看法，给她们一个平台发声。”她继续说道，“我清楚这份责任，也引以为傲。”Aden’s presence at the shows has already had a subtle influence on the culture and attitudes that attend the job of modelling itself. In Milan, in an environment where nudity is the norm, Aden is a rare anomaly. Her faith dictates unique requirements including a cordoned-off dressing room, a chaperone accompaniment at all times and female-only hair and make-up stylists. In a business where models are expected to change in full view of scores of strangers, she’s hopeful that her needs might indirectly bring about a shift in attitude, helping brands to see all models as individuals.
亚丁出现在这些秀场，已经为模特这份职业的文化和观念带来了些微影响。在米兰时尚圈，赤裸是再正常不过的事情，在这里亚丁实属异类。她的信仰会有一些独特的要求，例如封闭的更衣间，每时每刻都必须有女伴陪伴，以及发型师和化妆师只能是女性。在模特行业，模特们要在一众陌生人眼皮底下换衣服，亚丁希望自己的这些需求会间接给这种观念带来一些改变，有助于各个品牌将所有模特都视为独立的人。Aden’s arrival on the fashion scene is timely. In a contentious political and social environment — where diversity has become a watchword for freedom — she represents Muslim beauty in an industry that is starting to embrace cultural inclusivism but remains largely ignorant of her faith. Aden is determined not to become a token, but she’s not naive. “If what is happening to me is simply the fashion community making some sort of fleeting statement then I am going to make that statement work as hard as it can,” she says. “I treat every job as if it’s my last.”
亚丁出现在时尚舞台可谓恰逢其时。在当前这个充满争议的政治和社会环境里，多元化已成为自由的口号。虽然时尚行业已开始接受文化包容，但对于她的信仰基本上仍一无所知。而她代表了穆斯林的美。亚丁决心不要沦为一个仅用来装点门面的花瓶，但她并不幼稚。“如果我的出现仅仅是时尚业为了蜻蜓点水地表达某种姿态，那我就要最大限度地利用这种姿态。”她说，“我对待每一份工作都像这是我最后一份工作。”As well as her modelling work, she is also taking on more ambassadorial roles. Next month, she is due to speak at Princeton University. She is also actively involved with Unicef and recently visited victims of the earthquake in a refugee camp in Mexico. But when Aden decided to enter the Miss Minnesota USA pageant, it was not, she insists, as a targeted political statement.
除了模特工作，亚丁还肩负起更多的外交职责。下个月，她将在普林斯顿大学(Princeton University)演讲。她还积极参与联合国儿童基金会(Unicef)的活动，最近访问了墨西哥一处地震难民营的灾民。但她坚称，自己当初决定参加明尼苏达小姐大赛并没有任何政治目的。“I did it because I wanted to do it. Because, like every other girl who entered — and there were so many inspiring girls, by the way, neuroscientists, nurses, smart girls with horizons beyond Minnesota — I wanted to stand up and say ‘This is me and I’m proud of who I am’.” She had never had modelling aspirations, and was not particularly interested in clothes. The appeal was twofold; girls placed in pageants can get scholarships for their college education and the winner usually goes on to forge relationships with charitable organisations. Yet her decision to enter the pageant was often clouded with doubt.
“我参加是因为我想这样做。因为和其他所有参加选美大赛的女孩一样——顺便说一句，有许多女孩非常出色，当中有神经科学家，有护士，这些聪明姑娘们的眼界可不仅仅局限在明尼苏达州——我想站出来，说‘这就是我，我为自己感到骄傲’。”她之前从未想过做模特，对服装也不太感兴趣。吸引她参加大赛的原因主要有二：参加大赛的女孩可以得到大学奖学金，而获胜者通常可以与慈善机构建立联系。但亚丁参加大赛的决定常常招来怀疑。“There was a lot of opposition from my community,” she recalls. “Many of them thought that it was inappropriate.” A lot of the pressure, rather than being applied to her, was put on to her mother, a devout Muslim and single parent who made the decision to raise her children in the land of opportunity. “My mum is a strong woman,” she says. “In the end, she supported my decision to be who my heart told me to be.”
“我身边的人对此十分反对。”她回忆道，“许多人认为这不成体统。”压力潮水般涌向了她的母亲，而不是亚丁本人。她的母亲是一位虔诚的穆斯林。作为一名单身母亲，是她当初下决心带着孩子们踏上美国这片充满机遇的土地。“我的妈妈非常坚强。”她说，“最终，她支持了我的决定，让我听从我的内心。”Her faith, and the way that she chooses to dress to express her beliefs, have always been secondary to who she is. “I’ve never let my life be ruled by segregation,” she says. “Jocks, Muslims, swimmers, dancers, they’re all the same to me,” says the girl who had never experienced discrimination before she came to America. “In the camp, there were no cliques. Race didn’t matter, gender didn’t matter, religion didn’t matter. When life is stripped back to its barest essentials, everyone is one and the same.”
亚丁的信仰，以及她选择的表达信仰的穿着，与“她自己是谁”这个问题相比都是次要的。“我从不会让种族隔离左右我的人生。”她说，“运动员，穆斯林，游泳运动员，舞蹈家，对我来说都一样。”亚丁在来美国之前从来没有遇到过歧视，“在难民营，人不分派系。种族不重要，性别不重要，宗教不重要。当生命回归最本质，每个人都是一个个体，都一样。”For all the naysayers — and there are still plenty of them, not just strict Muslims, but also non-Muslims who view the hijab as a symbol of subjugation — Aden is fast acquiring an army of devoted fans. Of @kinglimaa’s almost 400,000 Instagram followers, a huge percentage are young Muslim girls. “I want all girls, whatever their shape, size or colour, to know that the most beautiful thing they can be is themselves.”
尽管有不少反对者——反对者数量还不少，不仅仅是虔诚的穆斯林，还有视头巾为穆斯林女性受压迫象征的非穆斯林们——亚丁快速赢得了一大批忠心耿耿的粉丝。kinglimaa这个Instagram账号有近40万粉丝，其中相当大一部分为年轻的穆斯林女孩。“我希望所有的女孩，无论什么身材、身高或肤色，都能明白最美好的事情就是做自己。”Aden’s success looks set to continue. Western fashion houses are now being more proactive in recognising the demands of their Muslim clients. Dolce & Gabbana launched a collection last year that included hijabs; Nike has developed a lightweight “Pro Hijab” that Aden wore on the cover of Allure magazine this summer, and the denim hijab that she modelled for American Eagle’s #WeAllCan campaign this autumn was a sellout. That said, there is still a long way to go. Four of the summer shows that Aden was pencilled in last season fell through because the clothes were too revealing. “But, you know what?” says Aden. “Muslim women don’t stop shopping because it’s the spring. Winter isn’t the only season we like clothes. There’s still a lot of change that needs to happen.”
亚丁会继续保持目前的成功造型。如今，西方时尚品牌已开始更加主动地迎合穆斯林顾客的需求。Dolce & Gabbana去年推出的一个系列就包括头巾；耐克(Nike)也推出了一款轻薄的穆斯林运动头巾“Pro Hijab”，亚丁就是戴着它登上了今年夏天的《Allure》杂志封面；今年秋天她为American Eagle的#WeAllCan活动走秀时戴过的一款牛仔布头巾业已脱销。尽管如此，亚丁仍有很长的一段路要走。她上个时装季签下的春夏秀合同中就有四场因为服装过于暴露而告吹。“但你知道吗？”亚丁说，“穆斯林女性不会因为春天来了就停止购物。我们不光在冬天买衣服。仍需要很多改变。”A hard worker from the age of 16 (she worked as a hospital aide to support her studies), Aden is ambitious to make her mark on the world and is prepared to move wherever her work takes her. She is thin — a legacy from a malnourished childhood — but is starting to try to eat well and work out so that she can look her best. Working as a Muslim model in the industry has given her a fascinating perspective on the physical scrutiny most other models are put under. And in many ways, she argues, she has a rare advantage. “‘I don’t have to show the world my body. I don’t have to worry about ‘You’re too skinny’, ‘You’re too thick’, ‘Look at her hips’, ‘Look at her thigh gap’. And, when I go to work, everyone I work with falls over themselves to accommodate my needs. I mean, what other young model gets to have someone with them at all times, looking after their interests?”
亚丁自16岁起就一直努力工作（为了支撑学业，她在一家医院做护工）。她雄心勃勃，要在世间留下印记，随时准备为工作奔波。她身形消瘦——这要追溯到她那营养不良的童年——但开始努力认真吃饭，积极健身，以保持最佳形象。这个行业对于绝大多数模特的身材要求十分挑剔，而作为一名穆斯林模特，亚丁可以从独特的视角看待这件事。她表示，自己在许多方面都享有难得的优待：“我不必向世界展示我的身体。不必担心‘你太瘦了’、‘你太胖了’、‘看她的屁股’、‘看她的大腿缝’之类的评价。此外，当我工作时，每位合作者都急切地迎合我的需求。我的意思是，其他年轻的模特怎么能每时每刻都有人陪伴，照顾喜好？”
Aden is grateful for the support she has; not just her family and management but also those influential fashion figures. Roitfeld treats her like a daughter. For the issue of her magazine on which Aden appeared on the cover, Roitfeld commissioned Iman, that most famous of Somali-born beauties, to interview her natural successor. What advice, I wonder, did she give? “She told me to look after my skin, drink plenty of water and to stay true to myself,” she recalls. ‘They will meet you where you stand,’ she said. How cool is that?”
对于自己得到的支持，亚丁满心感激；不光是她的家人和管理团队，还有那些有影响力的时尚人士。卡琳?洛菲德待她如女儿。亚丁登上她的杂志封面那期，洛菲德邀请了最著名的索马里裔超模伊曼(Iman)来采访她的同脉后辈。我想知道伊曼给了什么建议？“她告诉我要保护好皮肤，大量喝水，听从自己的内心。”亚丁回忆道，“她说：‘他们会主动来找你的。’这简直太酷了。”