PHOTO: COURTESY ASHLEY GRAHAM’s INSTAGRAM
Here at I AM & CO, we love to celebrate strong, beautiful, history-making women who help make the world a better place for us all. The sensational Ashley Graham—and her Instagram—have our devoted attention.
Ashley is a 31 year old plus-sized model who has taken the modeling and fashion industry by storm. Her career and accolades have brought awareness to self-love and body positivity, and show that women of all sizes, colors, and shapes deserve to be celebrated for their authentic beauty.
Ms. Graham became an overnight sensation when in 2016, she was the first size 16 model to be featured on the cover of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue. This was a major breakthrough for plus-sized models in the modeling industry.
Ever since then, Ashley has been slaying the fashion industry with her complete fierceness and beauty. The best way to keep up with Ashley is to follow her Instagram account @ashleygraham. Her feed is popping and let me tell you why:
#BeautyBeyondSize:
Ashley Graham loves and owns her sexy, curvy body, and isn’t afraid to flaunt it on social media. You have no idea how empowering it is for me to see a woman like Ashley show me and the rest of the world her natural, beautiful figure. Whenever she posts a fire photo of her body, it reminds me to own my imperfections and to show them off to the world. After I see a photo of Ashley, I feel inspired to put on my favorite shorts and show off my curves to the world.
Okay Ashley, we see you!!
Whether you have a small booty, a big booty, or something in between, own it, and show it off.
What’s better than one gorgeously stunning curvy girl? Two gorgeously stunning curvy girls! Thanks for sharing your beauty with the world, ladies!
Killer body? Check. Gorgeous backdrop? Check. Badass babe who is making ‘her’story? Check.
We love when Ashley promotes fellow models of all shapes, colors, and sizes on her feed.
Her Workouts are Hardcore:
I didn’t realize this, but Ashley Graham is a workout beast. If you think that because she’s plus-sized, she doesn’t workout, you have another thing coming your way! Ashley trains like a freaking Olympian. This woman is the definition of a strong bad-ass babe!
“Are you jumping into your best life?” I am now, thanks to you Queen Ashely!
Oh no big deal, Ashley is just pulling a 45 pound weight with a man who is at least 180 pounds standing on top of it.
Ashley isn’t always in the gym; sometimes she likes to switch it up, Here she is living her best life while skating at the Santa Monica pier.
Can we talk about how much core strength Ashley must have in order to do this? I gotta hit up my bestie and try this out!
I love what Ashley says in this post: “I don’t work out to lose weight, I don’t work out because I want to be thin, I work out to stay healthy, strong, firm and to keep my mind clear.”
Can we just talk about the fact that Ashley Graham is literally deadlifting 135 pounds and she is making it look easy! I wish I looked calm, cool, and collected like her when I’m at the gym, lol.
She Slays #AllDayEveryDay:
As someone who is obsessed with everything beauty and fashion related, I love checking out Ashley Graham’s Instagram feed to see which of the latest trends she’s been rocking. Ashley isn’t afraid to try out new beauty trends and I truly love seeing what she wears, because it gives me an idea of what would look good on me! Also, she proves all the haters wrong because she knows how to look damn good in a pair of skinny jeans and crop top.
There’s no denying that red looks absolutely stunning on Ashley. As someone who has dabbled in the modeling industry, I can tell you firsthand how incredibly difficult this pose is. Not only does she have to balance on such a slender branch, but she’s doing a major back arch which is definitely not comfortable. The fact that Ashley is making this pose look so graceful and elegant is some next level magic.
Sleek hair looks AMAZING on Ashley! I also love her outfit in this picture. She is so chic and put together; this would be a great work outfit
This is on top of my list of photos I want to recreate. Ashley truly looks like a modern day Greek goddess in this photo. Her beauty is undeniable.
I am living for the 70s vibe Ashley is going for! This brown metallic dress looks phenomenal on her olive toned skin and her bouncy curls are perfect for a fun night out.
Tyra Banks (a.k.a my birthday twin) would be so proud of Ashley and her fierce smize in this photoshoot! Also, can we just talk about (again) how amazing red looks on Ashley?
Here is living proof that curvy girls can look fire in a crop top and skinny jeans.
She’s a Huge Advocate for Women and Social Justice:
Ashley is putting her fame to good use. She is using her platform and voice to help bring awareness to many issues that need to be changed. She also loves supporting other badass babes, which is something we love to do as well.
Ashley Graham said it best, “Empower women empower women” and that is exactly what Ashley does on the daily.
Here she is being part of a campaign that is raising money to support women and girls all over the world.
Ashley Graham partnered with Ellen Degeneres and Ellentube to have her own series called “Fearless.” On this show, Ashley helps people who struggle with confidence to see their own beauty and become that fearless person they know they can be.
She’s Just Like Us…
Except for that whole supermodel thing.
Ashley is h-i-l-a-r-i-o-u-s and she loves to keep it real. She knows she’s just another human being like the rest of us. After seeing all her hella relatable posts, I think it’s safe to say we all want to be best friends with her.
Ashley’s idea of the #behindthescenes of getting ready for the Met Gala is definitely different than other celebrities. Here she is getting her nose hairs zapped before the big event.
In this video, Ashley is showing her followers her struggle with taping up her breasts. “Kim tried it, Cardi B tried it…I don’t think I’m doing this right!”
Here’s a hilariously adorable video of Ashley with fellow supermodel Hailey Bieber doing funny faces. Ashley captioned it #Models.
I honestly have no idea what is going on in this photo, but here’s another example of Ashley keeping it real with her followers.
Ashley shoving her face with fancy European food is a whole mood. This is literally me at 2 a.m. shoving my face into a piece of pizza. Same, Ashley, same.
I think it’s safe to say Ashley Graham has saved lives. She has shown the world that a size 16 woman can be equally as beautiful as a size 0 woman. Her goal has never been to steal the spotlight from models who are smaller than she is, but only to bring awareness to the fact that we are all equally beautiful, no matter our size.
To see a model like Ashley, who somewhat resembles my body shape, be on the covers of major fashion magazines has helped boost my confidence. I always wanted to see a girl like me (with curves) be celebrated. Ms. Graham’s beauty is game-changing and helping redefine what beauty is.
Because of her, many plus-sized models are able to have successful careers in the fashion industry. Because of her, magazines and fashion brands are being more inclusive and celebrating bigger girls. Because of her, I am reminded to love my body for how it is.
Ashley Graham, you are an inspiration and all together a #Girlboss. Thank you for being YOU and helping change the game.
If you are interested in learning more about Ashley and her journey, subscribe to her new podcast “Pretty Big Deal”!