By Calynn M. Lawrence
@fairytalefacesbycalynn
Ashley Graham is a plus sized model who has made history by becoming the first plus sized model to land the cover of a Sport’s Illustrated swimsuit edition. She is quite beautiful and looks to be in pretty great shape despite her larger dress size! Although we definitely give our props to her, this has stirred up quite a frenzy from the public with a mix of opinions on her success! This article is going to give you just a few inside looks on the thoughts of the public after a survey was conducted amongst ten women and men to get their opinions. Names have been changed for privacy.
Nancy, a working plus sized model, feels that Ashley Graham is the cookie cutter of the plus size modeling industry and that it is expected for someone like her to be the model to make history. She says “ I am a working plus size model. I can relate strongly to Ashley because I also wear a size 16. But, I do not feel that she is entirely worthy of my awe. She is what we consider, “the prototype” of plus size modeling. Yeah, she wears a larger size but look at her body. There is very little about it that screams ‘REAL woman!’ In fact, I look at her and think ‘Kim Kardashian.’ It is quite nice to be able to say that you have a wash board stomach and relatively little cellulite, but I would have appreciated it much more if they picked someone who actually represented the majority of us curvy women. We have rolls and cellulite and stretch marks. These are all things that she lacks. So, I think that she gets one thumb up but certainly not two.”
Mike, a fitness junkie, feels that Ashley is absolutely perfect for the cover and that he could not be happier with their choice. He says the following, “I think that Ashley Graham is sexy as ever and she definitely gets my stamp of approval. I get why people are upset, because of the color of her skin and because of the fact that she has an unrealistically slash uncommonly fit curvy physique. You know, ethnic women seem to be more opposed because they feel that they pioneered the full figured look and that they should be the ones to receive the glory. This is kind of understandable seeing as how you see many more ethnic women with a real deal hourglass like the model than you do non ethnic women. It’s their signature, what they are known for, their curves. But at the end of the day, you have this model Ashley who is everything that a man would want. She’s got a coke bottle shape, long silky hair, light eyes and a gorgeous face! I have no problems with her. I think the internet needs to chill and let her be.”
Lorena, a budding fashion designer, feels that Ashley is an inspiration to her and many other girls that she knows. She says “ I am a young plus sized girl who is addicted to fashion. I used to want to be a model but realized that it probably was not the career for me. Yet, even as a fashion designer I still see the struggles of being plus sized. Because, as a designer you have to be your own walking bill board and wear your works. And, sometimes if you aren’t a sample size, no matter how awesome your design is, people don’t perceive it to be as beautiful as they would if it were hanging on a size 4 frame. Thus, by someone like Ashley Graham landing that cover, it gave me hope and inspiration to continue loving my curves and accepting the fact that I am every bit of a woman.”
So, as you can see, there are a few different takes on Ashley Graham’s landing the cover of Sport’s Illustrated. No matter what the critics say, though, she should be completely proud of her accomplishments and should drown out any hate that she gets. Good job, Ashley!
