ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Halima Aden - Model
Halima Aden was the first ever hijab-wearing fashion model.

Why you should listen

Somali-American model Halima Aden was born in Kakuma, a refugee camp in Kenya, after her family fled civil war in Somalia. She lived there for seven years before traveling to the United States and settling in St. Louis. Though she spoke Somali and Swahili, Aden was thrust into an English-speaking school system that lacked a language immersion curriculum entirely. Despite this seeming detriment, she quickly found herself in advanced placement English classes in high school, outperforming her classmates and demonstrating the resilience that makes her a powerhouse today.

Aden first made headlines after competing in the Miss USA state pageant, wearing a hijab and sporting a burkini in the swimsuit portion of the competition -- a first in the 65-year history of the event. She finished among the top 15 finalists, and her performance caught the eye of Carine Roitfeld, who recruited her to appear in what was Aden's first editorial. The CR Fashion Book cover, however, came as a surprise to Aden and marked the beginning of a new cultural phenomenon. Since then, she has covered Vogue Arabia, British Vogue, Teen Vogue, Grazia UK, S Moda and Allure, in which the publication heralded her as an all-American beauty, a crucial acknowledgment for America's Muslim community. Aden's editorial credits also include Harper's Bazaar and Glamour, and she appeared on the runway for Yeezy, Alberta Ferretti, Max Mara, Philipp Plein and Dolce & Gabbana. Rihanna tapped her to appear in the campaign for her inclusive beauty brand, Fenty Beauty.

Aden was recently named an official UNICEF Ambassador. When she's not working, she covets time spent with family and friends on the couch indulging in Netflix marathons.

More profile about the speaker
Halima Aden | Speaker | TED.com
TEDxKakumaCamp

Halima Aden: How I went from child refugee to international model

哈利馬阿登: 我如何從難民孩童變成國際模特兒

Filmed:
1,498,890 views

哈利馬阿登成為《時尚》雜誌封面上第一個包著頭巾的模特兒時,寫下了歷史。現在,她返回肯亞的卡庫馬難民營——她的出生地,在那裡且待到七歲。她分享很鼓舞人心的訊息,訴說她從難民孩童變成國際模特兒的這段過程中學到了什麼。
- Model
Halima Aden was the first ever hijab-wearing fashion model. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:13
This is me at age年齡 seven.
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這是我七歲的時候。
00:17
And this is also me.
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這也是我。
00:21
(Applause掌聲 and cheering歡呼)
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(掌聲與歡呼)
00:24
To be standing常設 here in Kakuma卡庫馬
refugee難民 camp feels感覺 so surreal超現實主義,
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站在卡庫馬難民營這裡,
感覺好不真實,
00:29
and I'm overcome克服 with so much emotion情感.
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我現在有著滿滿的情緒。
00:32
These very grounds理由 are where I was born天生
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這就是我出生的地方,
00:34
and spent花費 the first
seven years年份 of my life.
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我人生的前七年也都待在這裡。
00:37
I think many許多 people are surprised詫異 to hear
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我想,很多人會覺得無法相信
00:39
that I had a great upbringing教養
here at Kakuma卡庫馬.
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我在卡庫馬有受到很好的養育。
00:43
But I was happy快樂,
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但我那時很開心,
00:44
I was smart聰明, I had friends朋友
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我很聰明,我有朋友,
00:47
and above以上 all, I had hope希望
for a brighter光明 future未來.
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最重要的是,
我嚮往著更明亮的未來。
00:50
That's not to say that we didn't
have our obstacles障礙.
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並不是說我們沒有遇到阻礙。
00:53
I mean, boy男孩 were there struggles鬥爭.
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我的意思是,真的有過掙扎。
00:55
I would sometimes有時 get sick生病 with malaria瘧疾
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我有時候會得到瘧疾,
00:58
and didn't always know
where our next下一個 meal膳食 would come from.
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且不見得都知道下一餐會從哪裡來。
01:01
But the sense of community社區
that is here in Kakuma卡庫馬
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但在卡庫馬這裡,共同體的感覺
01:05
and the pride自豪 that everyone大家 here possesses擁有
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以及這裡每個人所擁有的驕傲
01:07
is simply只是 unparalleled空前的.
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實在是空前未有的。
01:11
When I was younger更年輕,
I remember記得 conflicts衝突 breaking破壞 out.
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我比較小的時候,我記得衝突爆發。
01:15
That tends趨向 to happen發生 when people
come from different不同 backgrounds背景
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當有來自不同背景的人
說著不相同的語言時,
01:18
and don't speak說話 the same相同 language語言.
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本來就很容易發生衝突。
01:20
Eventually終於, Swahili斯瓦希裡 --
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最終,斯華西里語——
01:21
the main主要 language語言 here --
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這裡的主要語言——
01:22
became成為 our common共同 ground地面.
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變成了我們的共同點。
01:24
I made製作 friends朋友 with the kids孩子 at the camp
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我和難民營的孩子交朋友,
01:26
and even started開始 embracing擁抱
some of their cultures文化,
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甚至開始接受一些他們的文化,
01:29
celebrating慶祝 holidays假期 like Christmas聖誕
even though雖然 I was raised上調 Muslim穆斯林.
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雖然我成長過程都信回教,
我也慶祝像是聖誕節等節日。
01:33
The other kids孩子 would embrace擁抱
my culture文化 as well,
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其他的孩子也會接受我的文化,
01:36
sometimes有時 even praying祈禱 right alongside並肩 me.
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有時甚至就在我旁邊一起禱告。
01:39
It was easy簡單, as children孩子,
to come together一起,
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身為孩子,很容易就能團結,
01:42
blend混合 all of our beliefs信仰
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融合我們的信仰,
01:44
to form形成 our own擁有 unique獨特,
multicultural多元文化 environment環境.
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形成我們自己
獨一無二的多文化環境。
01:49
My name名稱 is Halima哈利馬 Aden亞丁
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我的名字叫哈利馬阿登,
01:51
and I'm a black黑色, Muslim穆斯林,
Somali-American索馬里裔 from Kenya肯尼亞.
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我是個索瑪利裔美國黑人,
來自肯亞,信奉回教。
01:56
(Applause掌聲)
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(掌聲)
01:59
Some have called me a trailblazer先驅 --
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有些人把我稱為先驅——
02:01
I was the first Muslim穆斯林
homecoming返校 節 queen女王 at my high school學校,
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在我的高中,我是第一個
信奉回教的返校日皇后,
02:04
the first Somali索馬里 student學生
senator參議員 at my college學院
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在我的大學,我是第一個
索瑪利裔的學生會委員,
02:07
and the first hijab-wearing蓋頭佩戴
woman女人 in many許多 places地方,
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在許多地方,我是
第一個戴頭巾的女性,
02:09
like the Miss小姐 Minnesota明尼蘇達 USA美國
beauty美女 pageant盛會,
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比如明尼蘇達州小姐選美比賽、
02:12
the runways跑道 of Milan米蘭
and New York紐約 Fashion時尚 Weeks
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米蘭及紐約時裝週的伸展台,
02:16
and even on the historic歷史性 cover
of British英國的 "Vogue時尚."
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甚至上了具有里程碑意義的
英國《時尚》雜誌封面。
02:19
As you can see,
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如你們所見,
02:21
I'm not afraid害怕 to be the first,
to step out on my own擁有,
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我並不害怕自己站出來當第一個,
02:24
to take risks風險 and seek尋求 change更改,
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我敢承擔風險和尋求改變,
02:26
because that's what being存在
a minority少數民族 is about.
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因為那就是身為少數族群應該做的。
02:29
It's about using運用 yourself你自己
as a vessel船隻 to create創建 change更改
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重點是要把自己當作
創造改變的媒介,
02:31
and being存在 a human人的 representation表示
for the power功率 of diversity多樣.
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把多樣性的力量
在人的身上展現出來。
02:36
And now I use my platform平台 to spread傳播
an important重要 message信息 of acceptance驗收.
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現在,我用我的平台來散播一則
關於接受的重要訊息。
02:42
But it hasn't有沒有 always been easy簡單.
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但過程並非都很容易。
02:44
When we first arrived到達 to the United聯合的 States狀態
and made製作 St. Louis路易, Missouri密蘇里州 home,
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當我們初次抵達美國,
以密蘇里的聖路易斯為家時,
02:49
I remember記得 asking my mom媽媽,
"Is this really America美國?"
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我記得我問我母親:
「這真的是美國嗎?」
02:54
There were things
that were sadly可悲的是 familiar,
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有些事物,有著悲傷的熟悉感,
02:57
like hearing聽力 gunshots槍聲 at night
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比如在夜間聽到槍聲,
02:58
and the streets街道 looking impoverished貧困.
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及街道看來赤貧無創造性。
03:01
But there were things
that were also very different不同.
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但也有些非常不同的地方。
03:04
Like when I started開始 first grade年級,
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比如,當我上一年級時,
03:05
I noticed注意到 how the kids孩子 played發揮 in groups.
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我注意到孩子們如何分群玩耍。
03:08
In America美國, we call them "cliques拉幫結派."
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在美國,我們稱他們為「朋黨」。
03:10
Back here, we all played發揮 together一起.
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以前在這裡時,我們全都玩在一起。
03:13
Gender性別 didn't matter,
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性別無所謂,
03:14
and race種族 most certainly當然 never mattered要緊.
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種族也肯定從來都無所謂。
03:17
I remember記得 asking myself,
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我記得我會問我自己:
03:19
"Why don't they understand理解 Swahili斯瓦希裡?
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「他們為什麼不懂斯華西里語?
03:21
Swahili斯瓦希裡 is the language語言
that brings帶來 people together一起."
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斯華西里語是讓人
團結在一起的語言。」
03:26
To make matters事項 worse更差,
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更糟的是,
03:27
the school學校 I was enrolled就讀 in
didn't have an English英語 immersion浸沒 program程序.
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我就讀的學校並沒有沉浸英語學程。
03:32
So everyday每天 I would get up,
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所以,我每天爬起床,
03:34
go to school學校, sit in my desk
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去上學,坐在我的座位上,
03:36
and never learn學習 a thing.
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什麼都學不到。
03:38
This is when I started開始 losing失去 hope希望,
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這時,我開始失去希望,
03:40
and I wanted nothing more
than return返回 to Kakuma卡庫馬,
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我只想返回卡庫馬,
03:43
a refugee難民 camp.
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回到難民營。
03:47
Soon不久, my mother母親 learned學到了
that many許多 Somalis索馬里 found發現 refuge避難所
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很快的,我母親得知
有許多索馬利人
在明尼蘇達的一個小鎮安定下來。
03:50
in a small town in Minnesota明尼蘇達.
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03:53
So when I was eight,
we moved移動 to Minnesota明尼蘇達.
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所以,我八歲時,
我們搬到明尼蘇達。
03:57
My life changed as I met會見
other students學生們 who spoke Somali索馬里,
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我的人生改變了,
因為我遇到了其他索瑪利學生,
04:01
attended出席 a school學校 that had
an English英語 immersion浸沒 program程序
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我就讀的學校有沉浸英語學程,
04:04
and found發現 teachers教師 that would go
above以上 and beyond,
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也找到一些老師,願意額外付出,
04:07
staying there after school學校 hours小時
and lunch午餐 breaks休息,
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在學校放學之後
以及午餐時間留下來,
04:10
dedicated專用 to helping幫助 me
find success成功 in the classroom課堂.
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努力協助我能在教室中有所成。
04:14
Being存在 a child兒童 refugee難民 has taught me
that one could be stripped剝離 of everything:
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身為難民小孩,我學到的是,
一個人隨時可能被奪走一切:
04:19
food餐飲, shelter庇護, clean清潔 drinking water,
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食物、庇護所、乾淨的飲用水、
04:22
even friendship友誼,
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甚至友誼,
04:23
but the one thing that no one
could ever take away from you
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但有一樣東西,是別人
無法從你身上奪走的,
04:27
is your education教育.
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就是你的教育。
04:28
So I made製作 studying研究 my top最佳 priority優先
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所以我把讀書放在第一優先,
04:31
and soon不久 started開始 flourishing芊芊
within the classroom課堂.
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很快就開始在教室裡有好的表現。
04:36
As I grew成長 older舊的,
I became成為 more aware知道的 of others其他
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隨著我長大,
我越來越能意識到其他人
04:39
and how they viewed觀看
my race種族 and background背景.
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及他們如何看待我的種族和背景。
04:42
Specifically特別, when I started開始
wearing穿著 the head scarf圍巾 known已知 as a hijab蓋頭.
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特別是當我開始包頭巾,
也就是希賈布時。
04:46
When I first started開始
wearing穿著 it, I was excited興奮.
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我一開始包頭巾時,我很興奮。
04:49
I remember記得 admiring欣賞 my mother's母親,
and I wanted to emulate仿真 her beauty美女.
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我記得我很欣賞我母親的頭巾,
想要模仿她的美麗。
04:54
But when I started開始 middle中間 school學校,
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但當我讀中學時,
04:56
the students學生們 teased戲弄 me
about not having hair頭髮,
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其他學生會嘲笑我沒有頭髮,
04:59
so to prove證明 them wrong錯誤,
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為了證明他們錯了,
05:00
I started開始 showing展示 them my hair頭髮 --
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我開始讓他們看見我的頭髮——
05:03
something that goes against反對 my beliefs信仰,
but something I felt pressured高壓 to do.
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這是違背我的信仰的,
但我感到有壓力迫使我去做。
05:07
I wanted so badly to fit適合 in at the time.
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那時我非常想要融入大家。
05:12
When I reflect反映 on the issues問題
of race種族, religion宗教, identity身分,
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當我反思關於種族、
宗教、身分的議題時,
05:17
a lot of painful痛苦 memories回憶 come to mind心神.
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許多痛苦的記憶會浮現腦海。
05:20
It would be easy簡單 for me to blame
those of another另一個 culture文化
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對我來說,把我所感受到的痛苦
05:23
for making製造 me feel the pain疼痛 I felt,
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怪罪其他文化的人是比較容易的,
05:26
but when I think deeper更深,
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但當我更深入思考,
05:28
I also recognize認識 that the most impactful影響力,
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我也了解到,這些事是我所遇過
05:31
positive, life-changing改變生活 events事件
that have happened發生 to me
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最有影響力、最正面、
改變我人生最多的事,
05:34
are thanks謝謝 to those people
who are different不同 than me.
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這一切都要感謝那些和我不同的人。
05:38
It was at this moment時刻 that I decided決定
to step outside of my comfort安慰 zone
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在那一刻,我決定
要踏出我的舒適圈,
05:42
and compete競爭 in a pageant盛會
wearing穿著 a hijab蓋頭 and burkini布基尼.
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包著頭巾,穿著蒙面罩袍
去參加選美比賽。
05:46
I saw it as an opportunity機會
to be a voice語音 for women婦女
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我把它視為一個機會,讓我可以
05:49
who, like myself,
had felt underrepresented代表性不足.
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為和我一樣的弱勢女性發聲。
05:53
And although雖然 I didn't capture捕獲 the crown王冠,
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雖然我沒有贏得后冠,
05:55
that experience經驗 opened打開
so many許多 doors for me.
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那次的經驗為我打開了好多扇門。
05:58
I was receiving接收 emails電子郵件 and messages消息
from women婦女 all over the world世界,
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我收到世界各地女性
寫給我的電子郵件和訊息,
06:02
telling告訴 me that I've inspired啟發 them
by simply只是 staying true真正 to myself.
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她們說,光是看到我能夠
忠於自己,就讓她們受到鼓舞。
06:08
The other "firsts首創" kept不停 coming未來.
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我不斷繼續當「第一個」。
06:10
I was invited邀請 to New York紐約 City
by fashion時尚 icon圖標 Carine卡琳 Roitfeld洛菲德
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我受到時尚界代表人物
卡琳洛菲德的邀請,前往紐約,
06:15
to shoot射擊 my very first editorial社論.
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拍攝我的第一張時尚雜誌照片。
06:18
It was around this time that I became成為
the first hijab-wearing蓋頭佩戴 model模型,
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大約在這個時期,我成為了
第一個包著頭巾的模特兒,
06:21
and in my first year,
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在我的頭一年,
06:23
I graced增光 the covers蓋子
of nine fashion時尚 magazines雜誌.
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我上了七本時尚雜誌的封面。
06:27
It was a whirlwind旋風, to say the least最小.
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至少可以說,這是場旋風。
06:29
But with all the overnight過夜 success成功,
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但在這所有的一夜成名的成功中,
06:32
there was one thing
that remained保持 constant不變 --
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有一樣東西是維持不變的——
06:35
the thought that this could be
what brings帶來 me back here to Kakuma卡庫馬,
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認為我能夠因此有機會
回到卡庫馬的想法,
06:39
the place地點 that I call home.
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回到我稱為家的地方。
06:42
And just a few少數 months個月 ago,
something incredible難以置信 happened發生 to me.
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幾個月前,很不可思議的事
發生在我身上。
06:47
I was in New York紐約 City, on a photo照片 shoot射擊,
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我當時在紐約,正在拍照,
06:50
when I met會見 South Sudanese蘇丹人
model模型 AdutAdut AkechAkech,
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我遇見了南蘇丹的模特兒
阿度特艾凱奇,
06:53
who also happened發生 to be born天生
right here in Kakuma卡庫馬.
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她剛好也出生在卡庫馬。
06:58
That experience經驗 in itself本身
is the definition定義 of hope希望.
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那段經驗本身就是希望的定義。
07:02
I mean, just imagine想像:
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我的意思是,想像一下:
07:04
two girls女孩 born天生 in the same相同 refugee難民 camp,
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出生在同一個難民營的兩個女孩,
07:08
reunited重聚 for the first time
on the cover of British英國的 "Vogue時尚."
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在英國《時尚》雜誌的封面上
第一次團聚在一起。
07:12
(Applause掌聲 and cheering歡呼)
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(掌聲與歡呼)
07:18
I was given特定 the distinct不同 pleasure樂趣
of partnering夥伴關係 up with UNICEF聯合國兒童基金會,
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我有非常獨特的榮幸,
能和聯合國兒童基金會合作,
07:22
knowing會心 firsthand第一手 the work
that they do for children孩子 in need.
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直接了解他們為
有需要的兒童做了什麼。
07:27
And I want you to remember記得
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我希望各位能記住,
07:28
that although雖然 the children孩子
here may可能 be refugees難民,
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雖然這裡的孩子可能是難民,
07:33
they are children孩子.
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他們仍然是孩子。
07:35
They deserve值得 every一切 opportunity機會
to flourish繁榮, to hope希望, to dream夢想 --
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他們應該要有機會去成長、
去希望、去夢想——
07:41
to be successful成功.
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去成功。
07:44
My story故事 began開始 right here
in Kakuma卡庫馬 refugee難民 camp,
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這裡,卡庫馬難民營,
是我的故事的起點,
07:49
a place地點 of hope希望.
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它是個希望之地。
07:51
Thank you.
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謝謝。
07:52
(Applause掌聲)
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(掌聲)
Translated by Lilian Chiu
Reviewed by Helen Chang

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Halima Aden - Model
Halima Aden was the first ever hijab-wearing fashion model.

Why you should listen

Somali-American model Halima Aden was born in Kakuma, a refugee camp in Kenya, after her family fled civil war in Somalia. She lived there for seven years before traveling to the United States and settling in St. Louis. Though she spoke Somali and Swahili, Aden was thrust into an English-speaking school system that lacked a language immersion curriculum entirely. Despite this seeming detriment, she quickly found herself in advanced placement English classes in high school, outperforming her classmates and demonstrating the resilience that makes her a powerhouse today.

Aden first made headlines after competing in the Miss USA state pageant, wearing a hijab and sporting a burkini in the swimsuit portion of the competition -- a first in the 65-year history of the event. She finished among the top 15 finalists, and her performance caught the eye of Carine Roitfeld, who recruited her to appear in what was Aden's first editorial. The CR Fashion Book cover, however, came as a surprise to Aden and marked the beginning of a new cultural phenomenon. Since then, she has covered Vogue Arabia, British Vogue, Teen Vogue, Grazia UK, S Moda and Allure, in which the publication heralded her as an all-American beauty, a crucial acknowledgment for America's Muslim community. Aden's editorial credits also include Harper's Bazaar and Glamour, and she appeared on the runway for Yeezy, Alberta Ferretti, Max Mara, Philipp Plein and Dolce & Gabbana. Rihanna tapped her to appear in the campaign for her inclusive beauty brand, Fenty Beauty.

Aden was recently named an official UNICEF Ambassador. When she's not working, she covets time spent with family and friends on the couch indulging in Netflix marathons.

More profile about the speaker
Halima Aden | Speaker | TED.com