Ashley Graham: Plus size model and body activist

We all see beautiful pictures of models with long legs and a skinny body. Some of us aren’t ‘gifted’ with these ‘perfect’ features. Ashley Graham, for example, didn’t fit in this stereotype. However, she is a celebrity and a plus-size model. Ashley Graham isn’t skinny and has a curvy body type, but you can see her on the cover of Elle, Glamour, Vogue and Sports Magazine. She is currently changing these beauty standards and in this article I’ll tell you how she does that.

Right now, there is a sterotype going on where beauty equals certain features like being absurdly skinny. However, most of these pictures of models are retouched or the models have unrealistic bodies. But since this is the beauty standard of our society many woman, especially teenagers, start worrying whether they are good enough. This is an issue Ashley Graham had to deal with. No one believed she would make it into a magazine, let alone the cover of it, as if everyone wanted to destroy her confidence. 

However, she has learned in her life that she’s beautiful and she learned from her mother that she herself defines who she is, and not others. She fights for body positivity which means that everyone, no matter what size or shape, can be beautiful. She taught herself to look into the mirror and say ‘I love you’. Now, her goal is to help young woman who also struggle to love themselves. 

But body positive doesn’t mean she supports obesity, which some people confuse it with. She even encourages woman to stay healthy and to work out. The proof of this is when you look at her instagram and you see tons of work out videos. To her, it’s very important to be healthy but in her opinion this also includes being happy with yourself. 

And slowly beauty standards are changing. Curvy women are more admired. However, there is still a long way to go. For example, Victory Secrets still isn’t diverse when it comes to body shapes and transgender people, and only present slim, tall woman. This view of how bodies should look like needs to be changed for the sake of everyone's confidence. But firstly, women need to be taught how to love themselves in a world filled with opinions.