Ashley Graham Gets Emotional While Explaining Why She Wants Fans to See Her Pregnancy Stretch Marks

Ashley Graham opened up about her decision to show fans her pregnancy stretch marks on Instagram. Graham and her husband, Justin Ervin, are expecting their first child together and had their baby shower over the weekend. The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model has been keeping fans up to date with every step of her pregnancy, even sharing a nude photo in August that showed her stretch marks.

Graham, 32, discussed the photo in an episode of Fearless with Ashley Graham, with Taylor Hoit. Hoit got Graham’s attention after she shared a photo of her postpartum body 10 weeks after having twins. In an inspiring caption, Hoit wrote,

“This body has grown four children. This same body gave birth to two of those children 10 weeks ago and somehow I find myself struggling to accept this body as if it didn’t just give birth.”

Hoit posted her photo a few weeks after Graham shared her photo on Aug. 18. She was inspired to share after she and other moms discussed weight.

“It was a day where everyone was saying, ‘This is how much I’ve gained, this is how much I’ve lost, this is what I look like,’ and I wanted to change that conversation. Like, what are we talking about? We grow children — our bodies did that. How grateful and lucky we are that we’ve done that?” Hoit recalled.

Hoit revealed how she “struggled” with her post and thought about deleting it. However, after she saw that Graham liked it, she decided to keep it on her page.

Graham said she also struggled with her “new body” since becoming pregnant for the first time.

“It’s interesting that you say that because the reason why I had posted that original photo, I had just announced that I was pregnant and I thought then I was going to feel good and I didn’t. I just felt terrible. And that morning, actually…” Graham said, trailing off as she started crying. “That morning, I was like, ‘Get it together, Ashley, there’s other women out there that are going through the same thing as you — why don’t you have a dialogue?’”

Graham said that having a “new body” made her feel isolated and alone, and she had to begun understanding a “new world of body confidence.”

Back on Aug. 18, Graham shared the photo of her stretch marks. “Same same but a little different,” she wrote in the caption. Since publishing it, thousands of women have left comments on the post, many praising her and calling her an inspiration.

Graham and Ervin, who married in 2010, announced they are expecting in early August. During an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show earlier this month, she revealed she is having a boy.

“One of the greatest parts of this pregnancy journey has been making friends with and bonding with other moms,” Graham recently told PEOPLE. “There were six pregnant moms at the shower, who’ve all been a part of my support system. We talk about all of the different aspects of pregnancy and motherhood, especially around taking care of ourselves as well.”

The full interview between Grahm and Hoit will be available Friday at 7 a.m. on EllenTube.com.