5 times Ashley Graham was all goals

“I felt free once I realised I was never going to fit the narrow mould that society wanted me to fit in,” supermodel and body activist Ashley Graham said in her Ted Talk Plus-size? More like my size in 2015. Graham was introduced to the world of plus-size modelling, catwalks and cover shoots at the age of 13. Labels were thrown at her, names were calling was commonplace and her confidence was at an all time low. She caved in to temporary pleasures and distractions of partying and alcohol. , and craved any form of love and validation until she realised she didn’t love herself. 

Making room for self-love started with acknowledging that while she may not be perfect, she needed to embrace herself unapologetically. “Rolls, curves, cellulite – all of it. I love every part of me,” she said  in her Ted Talk. In August 2019, when she announced her pregnancy, she opened up about the changes her body was going through and emphasised on normalising them. While she has given us plenty of reasons to stay inspired, here are few of the many we have curated especially for you.

On embracing body positivity 

 

Touted to be as this generation’s body positive icon, for years she has advocated inclusivity within the fashion industry and called out the term ‘Plus-size,’ arguing that it was divisive. Her goal is to look beyond the label and understand what it actually means to be a model in today’s day and age.  Graham refuses to be retouched in photoshoots and is vocal about clothing for all shapes and sizes.  She also consistently uses her social media platforms to advocate the same. A few months ago, the model took to Instagram to post a series of photographs of women who were comfortable in their own skin. She wrote, “Believe me when I say your body is beautiful, and I know it’s easy to tell yourself the lie that you’re not good enough, thin enough, sexy enough… Don’t let your mind stop you from enjoying your life to the fullest (and remember to say “I love you” to yourself every day)!” Today, Graham strives to redefine the global vision for beauty — to be more inclusive and more accepting, and to encourage women to reclaim their body and own their beauty. 

On redefining fashion and style

Whether it was on the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover six years ago, when she wore a sheer mauve slip dress with visible underwear at Edward Enninful’s soirée, or the time she pulled off a liquid silk LBD during a party in Paris earlier this year, Graham hasn’t played by the rulebook and often challenged the status quo.. Her style, therefore, comes from her confidence and absolutely unfiltered and honest approach to her work. From waist belts and corsets, to low-cut necklines and crop tops, Graham proudly shows off her curves, as she should and as we love! 
 

On celebrating pregnancy and postpartum changes

 

After Graham announced her pregnancy in August 2019, she began sharing posts on Instagram about the changes her body was going through every day: “Hello, new body,” she said in a recent interview. It was her way of embracing her body and accepting the changes that it was going through. She not only took the industry by storm in show-stopping maternity outfits. , but went a step further and shared highly relatable photo of her post-pregnancy stretch marks and wrote, “Same me. Few new stories,” and was lauded for her authenticity. The model and now mama,, also recently opened up about her post-partum hair loss and how ‘traumatic’   and challenging it had been for her to deal with it all. When she shared pictures of herself breastfeeding she attempted at debunking all myths around weight loss associated with it. Kudos to this new mama for speaking about the not-so-easy parts of motherhood and sharing her journey of recovery and healing with us all. 

On mindful fitness
 

Graham works out to stay healthy, not so much for the perfect body—major win for those struggling to meet a number on the weighing scale. And we love that. Often being ‘big’ or ‘heavy’ are associated with being unhealthy and unfit. Graham is proof that there is little truth to this. She emphasises on making exercise fun, whether it’s couple’s yoga, post-partum fitness, or trying your hand at something completely unconventional like kickboxing or headstands. When she is not working out, she treats herself to her favourite cheat meal—mac and cheese. 

“There are some mornings where I do wake up and feel really fat and heavy, and question why I ate that big bowl of pasta and skipped working out, but I can't focus on those things,” she said in an interview. And since she loves her hour-glass figure she curates a workout to enhance it. 

On overall health and wellness 

As a newly minted mother, the supermodel has been vocal about the challenge that work- life balance poses. Instead, she prioritises joy, laughter and love—those moments in your day reserved to make you smile. On her low days, spending time with her kids in the midst of nature or journaling her thoughts and feelings is what helps her immensely and gives her joy. Our favourite, however, is her practice of affirmations. “For me, being healthy really begins in my mind. I've realised that words have great power and they will make you or they will break you. If you're telling yourself that you are stupid and ugly and fat, that is what you will become, and you'll deteriorate because of those words. I always tell myself in the mirror, ‘I am bold, I am brilliant and I am beautiful,’ I talk to all the things I’ve hated over the year, my thick thighs, the cellulite on my ass and now I show them ALL off,” she said in a recent interview. Hear! Hear!