Supermodel Ashley Graham Shatters the Stick-Thin Standard
— -- The catwalk at New York Fashion Week is known for very slender models showcasing high fashion, but this week attendees got to see fuller figures.
Model Ashley Graham flaunted her fabulous figure on the runway in her new Modern Boudoir lingerie line for Addition Elle, her fashion week debut generating huge buzz online.
“It felt good,” Graham, 27, from Lincoln, Nebraska, said on “Good Morning America” today. “I really enjoy being in lingerie in general, and being able to showcase my line on the runway, it was amazing. I’m still pinching myself to make sure that it actually happened.”
“Ashley has designed this line that is not only supportive and comfortable but also looks really hot on women,” Joanna Douglas, senior editor of Yahoo Beauty, told ABC News.
But Graham, who wears a size 14, is no stranger to breaking barriers.
Just last year she was the first so-called curvy model to have an ad in the iconic Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue.
Now, she’s part of Lane Bryant’s #PlusIsEqual movement. Her message encourages women around the country to be who are they are not what the fashion industry thinks they should be.
“I talk about the flaws that society says women like I have,” Graham explained. “I’ve got rolls, I’ve got curves, I’ve got cellulite, things jiggle that shouldn’t jiggle apparently. And I’m not afraid to talk about it and I’m not afraid to showcase it on our runway live in action. I really want women to know that you’re included. We’re talking about the everyday woman, not the idea of what a woman should look like.”
Graham said her lingerie line stars at 36DD and goes up to G and H cups.
“We have not forgotten about the big girls,” she said.
“It’s really great for people to see that kind of a role model on the runway, let alone in clothing but in lingerie,” said Douglas.
Graham is proud to be successfully breaking the stick-thin standard.
“I really think that the word plus-size is dividing what women think of each other,” she explained. “And I think if we just got rid of that label and we just said, ‘Look, you’re a woman and we’re not going to describe you because of the number in your pants,’ then at the end of the day we can all just be equal.”. Her message encourages women around the country to be who are they are not what the fashion industry thinks they should be.
