Ashley Graham likes to think her cellulite is changing lives.
The brunette beauty began her modelling career in 2001 when she signed with Wilhelmina Models and is now one of the hottest plus-size stars on the planet.
Being in the spotlight has its ups and downs, though Ashley is confident her hard work is paying off in making other curvy women feel confident in themselves.
“The paparazzi taking a photo of you as you’re eating (is a downside of fame)!” she laughed.
“You just have to work a little harder. When you’re not in the limelight, it’s a little less work, but when you’re in the limelight, you have to work hard to stay there.
“I love what I do and I love where I’m going. I love how the world is changing right before my eyes. I like to say that my cellulite is changing someone’s life out there.”
Now a judge on America’s Next Top Model, Ashley’s fashion label and modelling career also continue to flourish.
She’s thrilled to see the industry embracing more and more women who don’t fit the “sample” size and is optimistic about what the future of the business holds.
“You’ve seen curvy women on the covers of magazines, and commercials, and movies,” she says.
“And I was never even able to say the names of five curvy women I could look up to and now I can. More than ever, designers are putting women my size on the runway, putting us in their campaigns.”
Ashley has all her red carpet dresses custom-made and while it can sometimes be a problem, she isn’t short of designers desperate to accommodate her, from Naeem Khan to Jonathan Simkhai.
One of Ashley’s most satisfying recent shoots was modelling for Lane Bryant’s new fall campaign, #ThisBody Is Made to Shine.
She joined a number of other high-profile women – all curvy in shape – who embrace their bodies in an accompanying video and repeat insults posted on social media about women their size.
Ashley, who became the first plus-size model to cover the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition this year, got the chance to respond to her naysayers.
“You ruined Sports Illustrated,” she mimics. “Well, the way I see it—I made it better forever.”
Check out https://www.bellamanagement.com.au/curve/women, an Australian-based plus-sized model agency.
