Ashley Graham stunned some fans in a video promoting her Sports Illustrated Swimsuit shoot, which she posted on Instagram.
The video shows Graham in all her glory, modelling several different bikinis and other swimwear on an idyllic beach. The 30-year-old model alternates between sultry looks and good-natured smiles, as fast cuts show her in a wide variety of outfits, and, in some cases, out of them.
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Graham is beloved on social media for speaking out about different body types and trying to change the popular perspective on what “plus size” means. She has made a point of promoting other models with varying body types in her campaigns, and even featured her mother in a recent photo shoot for her “Swimsuits For All” line.
This year’s Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition features other prominent models like Kate Upton, as well as women from other fields, such as Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman. The photos have a surprisingly feminist bent, perhaps because of this year’s development of the Me Too movement and the Time’s Up campaign. Many models, including Kate Upton herself, have spoken up about harasment within the modelling world, and women are intent on taking it back.
Graham isn’t just posing in beachside vistas, however. The model also works as a designer, author and activist, and appears on America’s Next Top Model on top of it all. In the past week, Graham has had to face down former America’s Next Top Model contest Toccara Jones, who mocked her twerking abilities in another video from the Sports Illustrated photo shoot.
SI came to Graham’s defense, posting yet another behind the scenes video proving the Graham can do it all. Graham had an on-set twerk battle with a crew member, where she came out the clear victor.
According to Graham, there is still a lot of work to do to strip away the stigmas people have about beauty in modern culture. At a recent CVS panel called “The Changing Face of Beauty,” Graham said that society has only just begun making steps to be more honest and inclusive, and to reduce body shame.
“You have to continue to talk about it,” she said. “I have always believed that skin color is not a trend, age is not a trend, and my size is not a trend. And that’s why I believe that right now, this can’t be a trend — if our voices are heard loud and clear, it won’t be.”
