You would think that by now, in the year 2018, people would know better than to comment and speculate on people's bodies. And yet, here we are. Trolls comment on the posts of just about every female public figure. They write about how she looks, what she should and shouldn't do with her body, and how she should act. It's completely unnecessary, but somehow these people miraculously find time in their day to spew hateful comments.
The latest victim of unnecessary commentary is plus-size model Ashley Graham. This woman is a force. She has been outspoken in her modeling career, and she's been an advocate for real representations of the female body and loving the skin you're in. Sadly, this makes her a target of trolls who think the average woman is much smaller than she actually is, much less outspoken than we've learned we must be, and much more apologetic about her body than anyone should ever be. One troll recently tried to come at the model, but she came to see Ashley Graham still doesn't care how you try to shame her.
Ashley Graham has an amazing modeling career.
Ashley's career has been nothing short of astonishing. While she did primarily magazine work when she was younger, she blew up in 2010 after controversy broke out surrounding a Lane Bryant campaign she modeled in.
It was revealed that the ad was thought to be "inappropriate" for some time slots. They wanted to edit images of Graham to make them more suitable, which really meant to make her look smaller.
She told her hometown newspaper, Lincoln Journal Star, about the controversy: "Of course, it's a complete double-standard. It's prejudice, it's size-ist. It's sad that we actually have to talk about it, that it has to be this big of a deal. But it's also amazing that we're talking about it. Because now we can get the awareness out that beauty isn't just a size zero."
Following the controversy, Ashley did a number of speaking engagements about being confident and happy with your body for curvy young girls. She designed a clothing line for Addition Elle, a plus-size retailer. She even appeared on MTV's Made as a coach to an aspiring plus-size model.
In 2015, she appeared in an ad for Swimsuits For All in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue. Little did she know, the next year would be life-changing.
In 2016, Ashley landed the cover of the SI Swimsuit edition, making her the first plus-size model to ever grace the cover.
And last year, Ashley added author to her list of accomplishments. She released her book, A New Model: What Confidence, Beauty, and Power Really Look Like, in 2017.
Of course, when you're as outspoken and confident as Ashley, people will try to rip you down. Cue the trolls.
Ashley recently shared a video of herself dancing to the remix of N.E.R.D. and Rihanna's summer banger, "Lemon," featuring Drake. In her video, Ashley danced around in a pink bikini.
Someone had the nerve to ask if the model was expecting because they saw a "bump." Let's just clarify one thing quickly: You should never ask a woman if she's expecting — not only can it make women feel insecure about their bodies, it's also an invasion of privacy.
What the troll didn't realize is that you can't shame someone who is comfortable in her body! Ashley clapped back just like her fans knew she would.
Speaking of her fans, they were absolutely not having any of this. What people love about Ashley is how real she is, so the idea that someone would attack her for being unapologetically herself is infuriating.
The comment outraged everyone from us random followers to fellow influencers, like DiaryOfAFitMommyOfficial.
It feels personal when someone attacks a celebrity who's so down to earth and stands for something positive. Ashley is out here inspiring girls to love themselves and be good to themselves, something we should all support.
Ashley has made a name in the supermodel world, and she's using her platform to support other women. Although people on the internet are constantly trying to bring her down, Ashley has proven time and again that she's going to keep living her life and being herself.
