At this point in Ashley Graham’s career it would be redundant to list all the ways she's been tirelessly working to redefine what it means to be a model and constantly representing the 67% of women who are size 14 and beyond. But on Wednesday, Graham uploaded images from a photo shoot she did for Vogue Italia — which yes, is pretty standard fare for the model. Only this series of black-and-white pictures was completely unretouched.
For the magazine's #TheCelebrationIssue, photographer Nathaniel Goldeberg shot Graham in a series of lingerie looks, including a leopard print bodysuit by Dolce & Gabbana. Of the spread, the magazine writes: "Ashley pushes #bodypositivism to another level. It’s not just about acceptance: it’s about loving who you are and being loved, feeling so comfortable with yourself that you skillfully conduct the sophisticated game of attraction, going beyond convention, sizes, categories, and measurements imposed by modern society. The rules of this game are self-esteem, confidence and imagination. It’s not just acceptance, but a form of love for yourself, which is most important."
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Graham took to Instagram to celebrate the shoot, simply writing: “when they don’t retouch you;” she also thanked the Vogue Italia team and captioned one image with a bomb emoji, which makes sense, considering she does, absolutely, look bomb.
The shoot was well-received with her five million plus followers, too, who were more than supportive in the comments. “Girl, you were born for Vogue Italia! You are the modern Sophia Loren! Stunning!,” wrote one fan. “Such an inspiration!! You’re so beautiful, we are lucky to have people like you on this planet,” added another. In a world where so many magazines and advertisements retouch countless photos, it’s great to see Graham’s curves not Photoshopped — and getting all the love they deserve.
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67% of U.S. women are plus-size. Join as Refinery29 gives these women their own megaphone, doubling down on our commitment as allies, and partnering with them to catapult their powerful conversations into a true historic movement. #WeAreThe67
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