Ashley Graham has long been known as a talented plus-size (some might say regular-size) model in the fashion industry.
But, on Tuesday, Ashley Graham saw a dream come true when she was announced as one of this year’s Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue “Rookies”.
Ashley Graham appeared in the magazine last year in an ad, but this year, became the first plus-size model to make a swimsuit spread.
Ashley Graham expressed her joy on Instagram with a shot of her in a bikini.
The pic was captioned, “It’s official – I’m a @si_swimsuit model!! This is a dream come true. Thank you to everyone who stood up for curves- our voices were heard and together you can help me win Rookie of the Year. Stay tuned for voting instructions #beautybeyondsize #siswim”
Ashley Graham, who is reportedly a size 14, and other so-called plus-size models like Robyn Lawley, who is a size 10-12, have made huge strides in the last few years toward body acceptance of all sizes.
However, Ashley Graham doesn’t really care to be known as a plus-size model.
She said, “I hate the word ‘real woman’ and I hate the word ‘plus-size’.”
She added, “I’ve got plenty of friends [of all sizes] and different shapes and everything and I don’t want any of them to feel like they aren’t ‘real women’.”
Ashley Graham said she understands “that a lot of women still love this word. I totally respect that, but for someone like me, I don’t feel the connection to the word ‘plus-sized.'”
Interesting. Do you agree with Ashley Graham’s sentiments on the term “plus-size”?
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