Plus-size supermodel Ashely Graham shares some summertime wisdom accompanying a nude selfie, telling fans of all sizes to “love their skin.”
“As the weather gets warmer, I know a lot of people struggle with wearing less clothes and showing more skin,” she writes.
Along with her own selfie, the new mom includes photos that she has been tagged in over the years displaying plus-sized beauty.
“I hope these photos I’ve been tagged in of so many beautiful bodies motivate you to love the skin you’re in,” Graham continues. “Believe me when I say your body is beautiful, and I know it’s easy to tell yourself the lie that you’re not good enough, thin enough, sexy enough, ‘flawless’ enough to wear a tank top or a swimsuit, but it’s hot out there and so are you.”
“Don’t let your mind stop you from enjoying your life to the fullest (and remember to say ‘I love you’ to yourself every day)!” she concludes.
Although confident with her body, back in February, Graham spoke about the constant pressure of being forced to speak about size and body image due to the lack of inclusion in the fashion industry.
“I hate that I constantly have to discuss my body because I don’t know any man that has to do that,” the model tells WSL Magazine. “But what motivates me to continue to talk about my body is that I didn’t have someone talking about their body when I was young.”
Graham also explained that the lack of representation in the fashion industry inspired her to “keep it real” on social media.
“This is why I don’t post like the ‘perfect’ Instagram photos,” she said. “I keep it real and raw constantly because I want [people] to know that there are women with cellulite, with back fat, with stretch marks… There are a lot of curvy women, plus-size women, fat women, whatever you want to call them.”
