Ashley Graham is baring both her soul and her body. In every possible way. The plus-size model, who frequently receives praise for being so open with her figure even in the face of criticism, is featured in the latest issue of V Magazine… … in her birthday suit! And we’re not talking about some cheap nude spread in which the subject is actually sort of clothed… or covering most of her private parts with a bed sheet or something. We’re talking the full monty and then some. You’ll have to visit the official V Magazine website to drool over the most explicit photographs, none of which we can post here because we try to be a family destination for celebrity gossip. But here’s one of the more tame examples from Graham’s latest pictoral. The brunette bombshell has taken off her clothes on plenty of previous occasions, of course. In this case, however, she exposes more than just her bare boobs. She also delves deeply into her upbringing, specifically her religious upbringing. “I grew up in a very Christian home, so words have power,” she says, explaining: “I took that with me into every area of my life. If you say, ‘I’m fat,’ that’s how you’re going to feel. If you say, ‘I’m stupid,’ that’s how you’re going to start your day.” Indeed, Graham has always stood strong against the body-shamers and critics out there. She’s written an upcoming book titled A New Model: What Confidence, Beauty, and Power Really Look Like. “I wake up sometimes and I feel like the fattest person alive, but I’m not going to let that affect the rest of my day,” she says. What sort of advice might Graham offer to others who feel this way? “Say to yourself, ‘I like this day. I am bold, I am beautiful, and I am brilliant.’ For me, that hits the interior, the exterior, and it makes me feel smart.” Ashley also recalls to the publication how she discovered she had cellulite for the first time, back when she was in middle school. “I remember telling my mom, ‘Isn’t it disgusting? It’s so ugly.’ She pulled her pants down and said, ‘Look, I have it, too.’ “And I was like, ‘Gasp!’ She looked at me, then at it, and just rolled her eyes. She didn’t tell me that it’s beautiful or ugly. She just made it a nonissue.” Graham does the same thing now online. She’ll often just share photos of her own cellulite for other women to take note of. “It doesn’t define my worth,” Ashley concludes, speaking to Tracee Ellis Ross, who conducted this interview. “If women like you and me continue to preach that, then I feel like younger girls are going to grasp it and they’re going to be like, “Who cares!” Amen. In related news, we totally love Ashley Graham.
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Ashley Graham: I’m Naked AND I’m Christian!
