Ashley Graham Admits She Still Feels Shy About Revealing Bikini Photos

05/30/2017 05:09 pm EDT

Even though she is one of the most sought-after models in the world, Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover girl Ashley Graham admits that she still feels nervous when stripping down to her bikini at the beach.

During an interview with People Magazine, Ashley Graham opened up about showing off her body in a swimsuit.

"I mean, of course like any girl when you get to the beach or the pool and you go, 'Oh, I have to take my cover-up off, crap.' And you feel like everybody's watching, and then you just go, 'Oh fine, I'll just take it off,' " Graham said. "And then all of a sudden you get comfortable and go, 'Okay. Another piña colada.' "

One way that the 29-year-old brunette beauty manages her fears is by trying to keep a consistent diet throughout the year.

Up Next: Ashley Graham Gives Her Fans An Up Close And Personal Look At Her Bikini Body

"I try to stay consistent throughout the year, and when I have a heavy week I have meals delivered to my house so that I'm making healthy choices," Graham said. "But I try not to eat dairy, and I haven't worked out in a couple weeks but I still feel great."

Ashley Graham has been an outspoken activist for body positivity. The America's Next Top Model judge recently explained that she is happy with the direction that the fashion industry is going as far as including women of all shapes, colors, and sizes.

"I think what's really great is the fashion industry has really said, 'You know what, we're about inclusion right now,'" she said. "We've had the body era. We've had the waif era, now here we are in the inclusivity era and it's race, it's age, it's gender, it's size."

At the beginning of her career, Graham was criticized for being a "plus-size" model. However, now that she has become famous, critics have lashed out at her at times for appearing to lose weight. According to Ashley, the criticism doesn't bother her.

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"My weight is going to go up and down but, also, nobody can dictate what I'm doing," she said. "I'm a true size 14, I'm happy with my body, nobody has dictatorship over who I am."

One way that Ashley Graham is promoting body positivity is by coming out with a new swimsuit line called Swimsuitsforall. The brand is aimed at creating clothing for women of all shapes and sizes at an affordable price.

"I'm ready to come out with a line of clothes that's affordable, that's for all sizes. The beauty of being a curvier girl is that we're all shaped so differently," Graham said."But it's sad because I really think there's a lot of designers who do go up to a size 22, 24 but buyers are not buying them because they don't think we're gonna come in and buy it."

[H/T People]

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