A body positivity advocate, American plus-size model Ashley Graham continues to embrace the principle that “what is natural is not ugly.” She affirms this with new revealing photos. On social media, the model shared a series of pictures from a recent fashion week in Paris, showcasing another side of the modeling world—unfiltered. In one of the shots, Graham poses in lingerie that doesn’t hide the multiple stretch marks on her thighs and abdomen.
Comments quickly praised the model’s bravery.
“I love that you show what TRUTH looks like for many women.”
“You are absolutely beautiful. Such an inspiration for all of us.”
“I adore this; this is true beauty,” her followers wrote.
It’s worth noting that the model didn’t come to accept her new body overnight. Ashley admitted that during her pregnancy with her first child—now four-year-old Isaac—she was very upset about the stretch marks.
“I cried hard several times,” she recalled in a candid essay for Glamour.
Two years later, while she was 30 weeks pregnant with twins, Roman and Malachi, “the stretch marks began to spread.” The model began a period of bargaining and acceptance.
“The stretch marks started to creep up higher, and it was evident they were going beyond the line of my underwear and then above my belly button. I talked about it with my midwives. I brought it up with Justin. I constantly raised the issue with my team. I said, ‘You don’t understand. I used to be a sex symbol, and now I’m a baby-making machine with stretch marks up to my belly button. What the hell is happening?’ … And then I just stopped and thought, ‘To hell with it; this is my life.’” She shared a photo of her stretch marks, which her husband compared to the tree of life. “Bless him. I thought to myself, ‘Okay, Ashley, you’ve got this. You’ve had a few; that’s life. You advocate for all body types, so what does it matter? This will be a great moment. You can share this with other women; it’s fantastic,'” Ashley wrote.
