Ashley Graham Opens Up About What Makes Her Feel Confident in Her Own Skin

The model shared advice her mother gave her when she was younger.

Ashley Graham is passing down words of wisdom that she received from her mother. 

Parade's Yasmine Coleman caught up with the model, 35, during the National Women's History Museum's signature "Women Making History Awards Gala" on Friday, March 31 in Washington D.C. 

During the interview, Graham–who was an honoree at the event–opened up about how she stays confident in her skin. Spoiler: It's all thanks to her mom!

"Honestly, my mother was such a breath of fresh air growing up because she told me my body looked like her, and she said 'if you didn't look like me, if you didn't look like dad, you wouldn't fit into this family,'" Graham revealed. 

"It really made me feel reassured that I was a product of someone who is strong–who knew their self-worth–because my mother was not about the exterior," she added.

Graham offered up some advice to the next generation of women, stating, "I really hope the next generation of girls knows what actual confidence is, and what their self-worth is, and that the world doesn't dictate that for them–that they can dictate it for themselves."  

Graham is taking this confidence into her next project: HGTV's Barbie's Dreamhouse Challenge.

“I cannot wait to see Barbie’s signature style get the life-sized treatment in an actual home," Graham, who has her own Barbie, previously said of the project. "She holds such a special place in my heart...It feels like such a full circle moment now that I have a hand in the creation of her real-life Dreamhouse.”