Ashley Graham Says She Doesn't Want to Be Called a ‘Plus-Size Model’
Ashley Graham Gets Real About Loving Her Body & Reveals She Gained 55 Lbs. During Pregnancy
Ashley also talks about the biggest lesson she learned in her first year of being a mother
Ashley Graham doesn't want to be labeled a plus-size model.
Instead, just call her "a woman," she said in a recent profile for WSJ. Magazine.
"I hate that I constantly have to discuss my body, because I don't know any man that has to do that," she told the magazine. "But what motivates me to continue to talk about my body is that I didn't have someone talking about their body when I was young."
Graham added that the lack of representation in her industry is what motivates her to "keep it real" on social media.
"This is why I don't post like the 'perfect' Instagram photos," she said. "I keep it real and raw constantly because I want [people] to know that there are women with cellulite, with back fat, with stretch marks.... There are a lot of curvy women, plus-size women, fat women, whatever you want to call them."
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The supermodel opened up about starting her career at 17 and being told she needed to lose weight in order to succeed.
"My self-esteem plummeted, and I had my agents telling me if you don't lose weight, then you're not going to work," she said. "The lowest part of realizing that I didn't get a job because I was 'too fat' actually gave me the courage and the ambition to go and fill a void in an industry."
"I am a full-fledged 16. I haven't been a full-fledged 16 since I got married," she told WSJ. Magazine. "I have like 25 pounds on me that I still have from before I was pregnant. I don't know one person that actually lost weight in quarantine. So then to go and try to lose baby weight in quarantine is an epic fail."
Graham became a first-time mom last year to son Isaac Menelik Giovanni and revealed that she is excited to continue growing her family with husband Justin Ervin.
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RELATED: Ashley Graham Is Ready to Have Another Baby: 'I Would Get Pregnant Yesterday If I Could'
Graham previously opened up about her experience with motherhood while celebrating Isaac's 1st birthday last month.
In a YouTube video, she gave fans a month-by-month recap of her first year with her son and her excitement through it all.
"January, you were earth-shattering and ground-breaking for me," she said of the month she gave birth to her son. "... I learned to love in a way that I never knew I could love. Never. People tell you, people try to explain it to you, but you don't know love until you have a child of your own like that."
In a tribute post on Instagram that same day, Graham also gave a shout-out to fellow moms around the world who are caring for their families amid the unprecedented year.
"This year has taught us just how strong, adaptable, and fierce we can be. Sending love to everyone going through any stage of their motherhood journey during a pandemic!" she wrote. "One year down and I can't wait to see where the rest takes us."
