A couple of weeks ago, Ashley Graham came under fire for posting a selfie that caused a lot of her fans to feel like she had lost a dramatic amount of weight without their permission. Yes, that’s right, Ashley did what she wanted with her own body; a very new concept for some of her fans apparently.
And after the criticism, Ashley has now shared some of her thoughts on the controversy in Lena Dunham’s Lenny Letter, proving that body shaming is still body shaming, even if the person has lost weight. In the article she says, “I didn’t give it a second thought when I posted it, but soon the image went viral. Not because of how good I looked wearing a high-end designer that doesn’t usually market to women my size, but because of people’s misguided views on women’s bodies and who owns the rights to them.”
Jokes on you haters because she commented, “The reality is I haven’t lost a pound this year. In fact, I’m actually heavier than I was three years ago, but I accept my body as it is today.” Maybe people were jealous that she’s wearing full Balmain and looked DAMN good, maybe people were mad that angle was flattering to her body type? Either way, and no matter the reason, there’s no valid excuse for shaming other women, especially a woman who has been such a champion for curve women on platforms that have never accepted curve women before.
My favorite tidbit is when she says, “To some I’m too curvy. To others I’m too tall, too busty, too loud, and, now, too small — too much, but at the same time not enough. When I post a photo from a ‘good angle,’ I receive criticism for looking smaller and selling out. When I post photos showing my cellulite, stretch marks, and rolls, I’m accused of promoting obesity. The cycle of body-shaming needs to end. I’m over it.”
It only got better when she said, “Body shaming isn’t just telling the big girl to cover up. It’s trying to shame me for working out. It’s giving ‘skinny’ a negative connotation. It’s wanting me to be plus size, or assuming I’m pregnant because of some belly bulge,” she continued. “What type of example are we setting for young girls and their self-esteem if grown adults are on Instagram calling other women ‘cowards’ for losing weight, or ‘ugly’ for being overweight?”
It really sheds some light that not only the curve community has but also women in general. Judging, and shaming others has to stop in all forms.
