Do you know who Ashley Graham is? She is the plus sized model that was just featured in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue and because of that issue there has been plenty of buzz around her name. This is the first time that the sports magazine offered a plus sized model the option to be in the Swimsuit Issue. For some, this is not that big of a deal and when Ashley Graham was asked about it, she shared the same outlook.
According to online sources, the average American woman wears a size 14 and Ashley Graham comes in at a 14, or a size 16. For many, the 14 and 16 size markers are considered plus size. Now that the average American woman is wearing one of those two sizes, it might be time to remove the “plus size” label. In a time when the numbers on your clothes make the difference in your mind, why is it that a magazine is actually making history by posting images of a woman that represents an average woman?
Ashley Graham is not the first plus sized model to be featured in an ad for a company that is more well known for showing someone underweight men and woman. Myla Dalbesio was featured in a Calvin Klein campaign in November and that was creating just as much buzz online as Ashley Graham is right now. The problem with the Calvin Klein ad was the fact that the model was actually smaller than what is considered plus size.
Ashley Graham is a designer for lingerie and a spokesperson for the beauty that is found in curves of the body. There are mixed reviews of the latest Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue as expected, but Ashley Graham says that times are changing in a way that sees men falling for all types of woman and that is being portrayed in the media as well.
The issue hit the news stand on the 9th of this month and in case you missed it, the issue features the ad by Ashley Graham and an editorial of plus sized model, Robyn Lawley. Unlike any other issue of the 50 year old magazine, this issue has two different plus sized models, where there never seemed to be any room for them in the past. According to the online sources that covered this story, we are entering a world of the curvy girl and according to Ashley Graham, “it is in our power to change the convention, and once women learn to accept and embrace their curves, the world will follow.”