Ashley Graham is all about putting her body out there for all to see, critique, whatever — she literally doesn't care at all. The gorgeous plus-size model announced her pregnancy over the summer, and ever since, she's been letting us in on it all via social media. She often shows off her pregnant figure and makes tons of other reveals on her Instagram. It's not all glamour, though — it's the real deal. She posts pictures of her cellulite and her pregnancy workouts, and she talks about her body changes, too. Truly, it's a breath of fresh air to follow along with her pregnancy, unlike some other celebrities who show us only the beautiful, glowy parts.
Ashley's pregnancy journey has helped normalize what normal bodies actually look and feel like, which is really a beautiful thing, especially coming from a big-time celebrity whose career is very much centered around beauty. Still, in both Ashley's career and how she represents herself online, she's helping to change ingrained ideas of what it means to be "beautiful." In her most recent Instagram post, she made a huge reveal about her pregnancy. She let her followers know exactly how much weight she's gained during her pregnancy, which she has almost reached the conclusion of. Of course, fans loved her honesty, and she was instantly applauded all over the internet for making such a reveal.
"Throughout my pregnancy so far I’ve gained 50lbs," Ashley wrote in her post. While "healthy weight gain" varies from woman to woman, many would consider this to be on the higher end of the spectrum. But the truth is, what every body and growing baby needs is different from person to person and even from pregnancy to pregnancy, so seeing variations of normal is a wonderful thing.
But Ashley didn't stop there. She let fans know exactly how she feels about her weight gain, too. "And the best part is, I don’t care!" she continued. "I have never felt better, and I am so thankful that my body and son have allowed me to be as mobile and flexible as I have been. Between working out, yoga, acupuncture and lymphatic massages- I finally feel like I figured out this whole pregnancy thing and how to feel my best."
Moms instantly applauded her honesty. Her Instagram comments section is completely filled with other women filling Ashley's cup. They said things like "good for you!" and "thank you for sharing" and even told Ashley how much weight they gained with their own pregnancies.
Of course, this reveal is pretty brave even if Ashley doesn't see it that way. A lot of people shy away from talking about how much weight they gained during pregnancy. Mostly, that comes from society telling us there is one right way to be, especially when it comes to our bodies, to all things pregnancy and just about every choice we make as moms, too.
When it comes to sharing about herself and her pregnancy, though, Ashley is pretty much a professional at this point. She's shared all kinds of pregnancy images, from pictures of her cellulite to exercise shots. She doesn't care about some idea of "perfect." She clearly loves her body in all its various stages.
It's indisputable that Ashley is a gorgeous woman. She just graced the covered of Vogue and shared the cover photo with her followers. She look gorgeous, but she was also incredibly excited to be on the cover of the magazine, and she shared how thrilled she was with her followers.
"A VOGUE COVER!!! — celebrating inclusivity, mothers, pregnancy and love — is so surreal," she wrote along with the post. "I have dreamed of this moment my entire career since I was a catalogue model living in Nebraska two decades ago." While Ashley was of course excited to be on the cover, it's clear that her message of inclusivity was incredibly important to her, as well.
"Thank you @voguemagazine and #AnnaWintour for embracing a conversation around pregnancy and motherhood, which can be both incredibly exciting and also isolating," she went on. "The community and support I have discovered along the way has been incredible, and to share this monumental moment with my son and husband in the pages of Vogue could not feel more special. @annieleibovitz, you made me feel like a true pregnant goddess ."
One thing is for sure: She's definitely a goddess. She is always working hard to promote body positivity, which being in her industry, Ashley knows a ton about. She's fierce when it comes to breaking down barriers for women of all shapes and sizes to be included in the modeling industry, and truly, she has done so much just by being herself and revealing sides of her we aren't used to seeing from models.
Ashley Graham is one of a kind. She deserves all the praise she's getting for her most recent reveal. We can't wait to see how Ashley grows and changes when she becomes a mom. Chances are, she's going to be pretty real and vulnerable about that, too, and all the moms out there who look up to her are definitely going to be watching.
