Ashley Graham made history as the first plus-size model to grace the cover of Sports Illustrated. Beyond her modeling achievements, Graham has dedicated herself to advocating the body positivity movement. She’s transparent in all aspects of her life, including her pregnancies, sharing the realities of motherhood without holding anything back.
As a mother to a son and twins, Graham is promoting the message that every mom has the autonomy to decide whether breastfeeding aligns with their choice, regardless of societal pressures or expectations.
During an interview, Ashley openly discussed the typical outcomes of pregnancy that many women experience but might not openly talk about. The model acknowledged contemplating the idea of keeping certain aspects private, saying, “Especially with how your body is changing when you’re pregnant, and stretchmarks, and the saggy skin, formula, breastfeeding. Cause there’s also this whole thing with people telling you how to feed your child.”
Ashley shared her journey with breastfeeding, “With my first kid, I was like, ‘I can only breastfeed! This is the right way!’ Then I had the twins and was like, ‘I’m not doing this. This is not working here. Both of you want both of these? This is a lot of work.’ So, I stopped breastfeeding when they were 5 months, and I gave them the best formula that I could find… And these little guys are so strong and so happy.”
Ultimately, Graham firmly believes that the choice between formula feeding or breastfeeding should be entirely up to each mom, guided by their own experiences. She emphasized this point, stating, “I don’t think we should be telling people how we should be feeding our kids.”
Continuing to connect with her audience, the model disclosed further about her physical challenges post-childbirth. She expressed, “Your body just fills up with nutrition, and the baby sucks it out of you. And then the baby comes out, and all of a sudden, you’re just fully depleted of everything, so your hair falls out, you get acne, I mean, the weight doesn’t come off.”
Graham elaborated on the topic, “I like to represent myself as someone who’s just happy with who I am. And I had a journey, like, it is a journey, body confidence, being okay with who you are is a journey… I don’t ever want to lie.” Her openness in sharing her experiences resonates deeply with mothers worldwide, making them feel acknowledged and understood. We appreciate her for being genuine and helping others feel less alone in their experiences.
In the past, Ashley revealed a confidence-boosting method she employed when she struggled to even say “I love you” to her own reflection. She started repeating the affirmations “I am bold, I am brilliant, I am beautiful” while looking at herself in the mirror. This practice became her go-to technique on the toughest days, motivating her to get out of bed and face the challenges.
Motherhood is far more challenging than many people realize; it takes a toll both mentally and physically. One aspect that often goes unnoticed is the changes in a mother’s body after childbirth, particularly the postpartum body and its appearance. To shed light on this overlooked subject, a mother has chosen to share photos showcasing her body after giving birth.
