Ashley Graham

August 2024 · 4 minute read

Ashley Graham is recognised as one of the most popular plus-sized models. She was born on 30th October, 1987 in Lincoln, Nebraska. She has been a cover person for famous magazines related to modelling and fashion. Ashley is an inspiration for most women who classify themselves as plus-sized. However, Ashley prefers the term curvy over plus-sized, as she believes it encourages confidence in women.

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My latest Denim Collection with @marina.rinaldi for @mojeh_magazine ? Full collection at link in bio

A post shared by A S H L E Y G R A H A M (@ashleygraham) on Apr 2, 2019 at 9:53am PDT

Bio

Every strong woman of today has gone through some hard times in the past. Similarly, with Ashley, she had a difficult childhood because of her weight. She dealt with a lot bullying and body-shaming and even sexual abuses at a very young age. These heart-breaking incidents have caused her severe psychological issues in the past. She was saved by her modelling career, that began after an agent convinced Ashley’s mother to let her do modelling. Ashley started to appear in various billboards and magazines even before she was graduated in 2005.

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Celebrating @themamagraham this weekend ? link in bio for the best mother’s day present ? and swipe to see us apply my unapologetic lip kit! @revlon

A post shared by A S H L E Y G R A H A M (@ashleygraham) on May 11, 2019 at 4:48pm PDT

Modeling

Early stages of modelling career were troublesome for Ashley as the work was limited because of her plus-sized figure. She worked in catalogues for few years then joined Ford to model in their short lived plus-size campaign. Ashley’s road to ultimate success started in 2007 when her profile and pictures was featured in best fashion magazines. She received a best plus-size Model of the year. Ashley has also given coaching sessions for other plus-size women and even launched a lingerie line for them. She was one of the hosts for 2016 Miss USA and Universe competitions.

Body Positivity

By supporting the body positive movements, she has made size acceptance a relevant topic in mainstream media. She strongly believes in self-acceptance and loving your body regardless of the flaws. She gave a motivational speech in TED Talks, in which she describes that she talks to her body parts while standing naked in front of mirror. Ashley has received a lot of praises for her positivity and changed the whole lives of people.

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Here’s to unapologetically eating fried chicken in a bikini. Thank you to the incredible team behind this shoot ? @bazaaruk

A post shared by A S H L E Y G R A H A M (@ashleygraham) on Jun 4, 2019 at 11:22am PDT

Personal

Ashley’s mother is Linda Graham, and sister’s name is Abigail Graham. However, her father’s name is still unknown. She was always vocal about body positivity and shaming, and has given several talks about the subject in different schools. She got married in 2010 with Justin Ervin who is a videographer who met her in a church.

Net worth

Being a global fashion star, Ashley has done very well for herself. She owns bathing suit, lingerie, and clothing lines at big retailers. She even enthused a Barbie doll for Mattel that didn’t have the usual thigh gap. Reportedly her total net worth reaches around $1 million.

Facts

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