Ashley Graham shares sexy photos celebrating size diversity in response to Victoria's Secret Fashion Show
As one of the most-talked-about fashion shows aired on Sunday night, plus-size model Ashley Graham shared a powerful reminder of what a more inclusive lingerie show would look like.
As the world tuned in to the annual Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show on ABC on Dec. 2, Graham, 31, posted a slideshow on Instagram of plus-size models such as Sabina Karlsson and Precious Lee working the catwalk from her own annual fashion show for Addition Elle. Her subtle shade came with a message the world heard loud and clear: #BeautyBeyondSize.
A post shared by A S H L E Y G R A H A M (@ashleygraham) on Dec 2, 2018 at 9:12pm PST
Victoria’s Secret has faced harsh criticism in the past for its lack of diversity, but recent comments by the fashion company’s executives concerning transgender models have brought fresh scrutiny to the annual show.
Other plus-sized models and influencers joined Graham to call out Victoria’s Secret’s lack of diversity, as #BeautyBeyondSize and #WeAreAllAngels started trending in support of women of all sizes.
Hey @VictoriasSecret when are you going to start adding some curvy women in your company. Seems like @ashleygraham is the only one that understands that beauty comes in all sizes. #AshleyGrahamforthewin #VictoriasSecretFashionShowfail
— Life With A Feisty Cuban (@JasandraSolis) December 3, 2018
In November, Heidi Zak, co-CEO of ThirdLove, published a letter in the New York Times also condemning the company’s recent comments about women.
“Haven’t we moved beyond outdated ideas of femininity and gender roles? It’s time to stop telling women what makes them sexy — let us decide,” Zak wrote, adding that her clothing company, ThirdLove, was created as “the antithesis of Victoria’s Secret.”
“We’re done with pretending certain sizes don’t exist or aren’t important enough to serve,” Zak said.
A post shared by ThirdLove (@thirdlove) on Nov 18, 2018 at 11:04am PST
This isn’t the first time that Graham has been outspoken about inclusivity in the fashion industry.
“We are all real women,” she wrote in May. “I can’t stand it when I read comments that say, ‘Finally, a real woman.’ No matter your size/shape/amount of cellulite — we are in this together.”