Ashley Graham ‘not convinced’ body shaming can be erased
Ashley Graham is "not convinced" there will ever be a time when women aren’t self-conscious about their bodies.
The 29-year-old model is known for speaking out about body positivity and flaunting her own stunning curves, but has admitted even she has days where she "feels fat", and doesn’t believe there will be a time when "every woman" wakes up and "feels like a million dollars".
She said: "There are some days I feel fat. I’m not convinced there’s going to be a moment where every woman in the world wakes up and feels like a million dollars. So, what I want to do is give women the tools that will help when those moments come up. Sometimes it can be as easy as telling yourself that you are beautiful."
But the Sports Illustrated model refuses to "let a little cellulite" hinder her happiness, and says she is largely inspired by the "positive" outlook that her mother always has.
She added: "My mom is the most positive person. She has always had a smile on her face no matter what came her way. After seeing that, I’m not going to let a little cellulite get in the way of my happiness!"
And Ashley is determined to help other women "be happy and thrive" in their own skin, and has urged women everywhere to "support each other".
She told the June/July issue of StyleWatch magazine: "Support each other. In the modelling industry, one woman is great, but in order to make a major change, you need a group of models supporting each other. At the end of the day, I just want to help other women be happy and thrive. And that’s what I want for myself too."
Meanwhile, Ashley previously admitted she was "disgusted" by her curvaceous figure when she was a teenager.
Asked when she became accepting of her figure, Ashley explained: "It would be so much easier to be like, ‘This is the date, time, and experience I had,’ but there really isn’t one. It was more about experiences in my life of devaluing the fact that I was an average, normal girl living in the city.
"But being told, ‘You’re fat,’ ‘You’re ugly’ or ‘You’re just not good enough,’ and trying to live in these model standards, that was my normal.
"I think I hit bottom around 18. I was disgusted with myself and told my mom I was coming home. And she told me, ‘No, you’re not, because you told me that this was what you wanted and I know you’re supposed to do this. It doesn’t matter what you think about your body, because your body is supposed to change somebody’s life.’"
