Ashley Graham isn't simply a model.
Although the beginning of her career was marked by her undeniable self-love in an industry that gravitates toward thin, lean women, she has evolved. Her larger-than-life persona paired with a curvy body and strong demeanor makes her someone to watch. When you look at her Sports Illustrated cover, it may be hard not to think, "Wow, I want to be that confident," no matter your size.
It seems like the world has been waiting for someone to be vocal about body acceptance, and Ashley proudly filled that need. Now, she's a judge on America's Next Top Model. She's the author of A New Model: What Confidence, Beauty and Power Really Look Like, which was released in May. She designs a lingerie line and a swimsuit line. She's been on countless covers. Still, she has her haters, and although Ashley has grown thick skin, she revealed to E! News what still gets to her.
From the outside looking in, it's hard to keep track of all the moves she's making. So, Ashley teamed up with go90 to create The Ashley Graham Project, a digital series that trails her day-to-day life. The three-to-five minute vignettes include behind-the-scenes footage of all of the model's recent highlights—her first time on the Met Gala carpet, hosting Miss USA and going to epic shoots.
Although watching the episodes helps to connect the dots, we still had questions. So, we went directly to the source. And, the trendsetting model revealed a lot.
"I wanted to show people a peek into my life. As a model, yes, I'm going to fashion shoots. But, my brand is growing and my interests are going beyond the fashion industry," Ashley shared with E! News. "I've wanted to have my own show for quite some time."
She continued, "The haters have been there for so long, and all I can do is laugh. Now, if they're hating on my friends or my fans, I will go off. I will go off. But, you know, if they're just calling me fat or a fat pig (one guy told me, 'Stop making fat look cool. You're going to kill somebody.'), at this point, I've got really thick skin. I also want to show girls how to brush it off when it happens to them. Sometimes I do write back and tell them that their comments are ugly and distasteful, but I always do it in a respectful way."
"I have a big white couch that carries all of my bras and all of my shapewear. I've got about four different Spanx and four different bras that I go through. I've got one with a deep-V, one that's strapless. Really, the trick that I have is to have multiples of different materials, lengths and heights on the tummy, because you never really know what you're outfit is going to be."
"I have to make sure that it's wearable and comfortable, which is something I also admire about my lingerie line. It's comfortable and sexy," she told us. "I am the customer. If I'm not going to wear it, then it doesn't need to be made. If it's not comfortable, then I'm not going to wear it, which means the girl buying it isn't going to wear it. I think that's wear I have a one-up."
"I didn't really start until later in my career and it stuck. It stuck and now I see so many body activists out there really fighting the fight. This is not a trend. This is something that boys and girls really need to see," the model told us. "When I was growing up, I only had my mother to look up to as far as a body that looked similar to mine. I was told a body like J. Lo or Beyoncé was similar to mine, but they don't have cellulite. They don't have back fat. Now, this generation can see someone with a body like theirs and feel comfortable in their skin."
"The number one question that people ask me is, ‘Where do you get your confidence?' and ‘How do you feel about the word plus-sized?' It's an archaic term." At this point, you can hear the frustration in the model's voice, which would make just about anyone empathetic. But, she continues, "I think that when you label women as anything, you're segregating them. It's divisive, and it's all because of a number inside your pants. I'm not really down with it. But, I do know women that love the word ‘plus-sized' and identify with the word. I'm just fighting a fight for the women who don't want to be placed apart from other women because of the size of their hips."
Yes, this is what confidence really looks like.
Catch new episodes of The Ashley Graham Project every Monday on go90 XO, a free online entertainment destination for the young and empowered.