Ever the body positive advocate, Ashley Graham decided to take her hosting duties into her own hands last night at the Miss USA 2016. After the swimsuit competition was over, she was discussing with the contestants what their favorite part of the show was and their thoughts on the whole process.
And when the conversation veered towards how scary it must be to participate in the swimsuit portion of the competition, Queen Ashley stepped in to make a point that it was typical for only one type of body to be shown as the ideal body type for swimsuits.
Ashley went on to say, “Pageants now, I’m hoping are going to start putting curvy and plus-size women in front of the camera.” For her to speak out, and feel confident about herself in the midst of being at a competition that hasn’t embraced curvy women is a huge deal. Body diversity is a constant issue in pageants, and it’s something we’re hoping will change with time. Judge Julianne Hough suggested in an interview with USA Today that there may come a time when the swimsuit portion of pageants will become extinct–but that’s not what I want. I just want to see women like Ashley have the opportunity to parade their curves on a stage too. Ashley made a bold move and another reason to love her.
