Model Ashley Graham had the internet in a tizzy last week when she posted a nude, post-shower selfie on Instagram. On today’s episode of Ellen, she tells guest host (and Ellen DJ) Stephen “tWitch” Boss why pics like these are worth sharing with the world.
“[What you post]—it’s real, it’s raw,” tWitch tells her. “They’re bold. Your posts always tend to start a conversation.”
“You know what? It’s about dang time my body is starting a conversation,” replies Graham. “Women of all shapes, ages, races, whatever they identify as … I think this is something that’s really important … if my curves are gonna start a conversation, let’s keep it positive and let’s let every other woman celebrate herself and her body. This is exactly what we should be doing: celebrating women for who they are.”
Graham has never been one to shy away from revealing images of herself. As a model, it’s kind of in the job description. But the messages she attaches to those pics explain why she’s so popular. For Graham, her job is about so much more than being paid to just stand there and look good.
Graham keeps the caption simple, writing, “nakie big girl.” One fan comments, “I hate that this is seen as ‘big girl’,” to which Graham responds, “I hear what you’re saying. But if you look at ‘big’ as a positive or love then you can see it like I do. I love my big strong beautiful body.”
Days later, the 31-year-old mom doubled down on her message of body positivity by posting a public breastfeeding pic for her 11.6 million followers.
“Standing feedings are a thing now,” she writes, referring to her 9-month-old son, Isaac Menelik Giovanni. “My big boy! He’s not walking, but crawling and pulling himself up everywhere!”
Fans quickly took notice. “Thank you for normalizing it,” writes one follower. “Had these pictures been around when my son was breastfeeding I would of [sic] had a whole different mindset.”