Ashley Graham recently sat down for an interview with Glamour. Here's what she had to say:
GLAMOUR: A record 27 plus-size models walked runways at New York Fashion Week this season. Who—besides us—do you think is positively affected by fashion’s growing size inclusion?
AG: Well, Michael [Kors] pulled me aside at his show and told me, “We invite customers, and there was a mother who said to me, ‘Thank you for including size diversity.’ ” Her daughter is curvy, and she got tears in her eyes when she saw herself represented. That meant a lot to him because it’s really about the customers.
GLAMOUR: What’s it really like to get to a job like that and be the only non-size-2 model? Does it ever feel like tokenism?
AG: I felt like a token in the beginning [of my career]. But now there are so many curve models—and more opportunities. I feel like a queen [on those jobs] because I’m the only one like me. I’m like, “Yes, I’m the curve ruler!” [Laughs.] At the Kors show I was the only one standing around naked in front of everyone.
GLAMOUR: Speaking of nakedness, you’ve told me before that you wouldn’t ever show nipple or bush, but in this year’s SI Swimsuit Edition, there was nipple. What changed?
AG: You know, my thing is: If it’s vulgar, and it’s, like, me grabbing my breasts and showing nipple, I’m not going to do it. When I said, “I don’t do nip and bush,” I didn’t feel like I had to be specific as to what kind. So you might even see more nipple coming up. But trust me: You will never see my vagina! [Laughs.]
GLAMOUR: Have you ever had any internal qualms about your work in fashion and being traditionally Christian? About appearing so sexualized and then—
AG: And then going to church on Sunday?
GLAMOUR: Yes. How do you keep it straight?
AG: It’s a gut intuition. I ask myself, “Is this right for me, my brand, my career, and my relationship?” Doing the music video with Joe Jonas—and making out with him—was something that I talked to [my husband] Justin about before I went in. And he understood I was playing a role. There are reasons to set boundaries for yourself, but there are also reasons to keep doors open. With that video I wanted to let the world know that love comes in all sizes.
GLAMOUR: You talk a lot about sex and relationships in the book. Why did you make the latter such a big focus?
AG: Well, when you sit down with your girlfriends, what do you talk about? Dating. So to tell my story is to share my highs and lows of dating, finding Justin, and abstaining from sex [with him] before marriage.
GLAMOUR: How did you know that Justin should be your husband?
AG: He was different. He was consistent. He’s safe and a little nerdy. But there’s nothing basic about him. He’s the adventurous one in the relationship. If we’re in another country, he’s pushing me to go hiking, and I’m like, “Can we lie in bed and order room service?”
GLAMOUR: You and me both. [Laughs.] Do you have any rituals to keep your relationship on point?
AG: He tells me, “You’re the hardest-working woman I know.” And to hear it from your man is, like, a whole other thing. We don’t go to bed mad at each other. We play the Nice Game—after a fight, when we’re done arguing but there’s still a weird energy, whoever says, “Let’s play the Nice Game,” the other person has to say something nice about them. Then [we go back and forth and] we remember why we love each other. And we have a lot of sex. [Laughs.]
Read the full interview at Glamour.
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