Ah, summertime. It’s the season where we are constantly bombarded by advice from magazines, gyms, and diet plans about how to get into proper shape to wear a two-piece by the pool. It’s all a little ridiculous, but these five plus-size models are all we need to remind ourselves that all bodies are bikini bodies.
1. Ashley Graham
As a model featured in Sports Illustrated’s latest swimsuit issue, Ashley Graham is no stranger to beachwear. She’s committed to helping women understand that “you can be healthy at any size,” which she explained in an online essay.
2. Philomena Kwao
We love how Kwao inspires those around them to embrace themselves the way they are! In an interview with Essence, Kwao named her body shape as her best feature. She went on to say that “if you can find beauty in everything, you can allow that to change your mindset and you radiate all the beauty you’ve absorbed.” Truly words to live by.
3. Marquita Pring
She’s walked for Jean Paul Gaultier, was named the face of Levi’s, and has been in Italian Vogue. You better believe she’s ready to strut her stuff on the sand.
4. Felicity Hayward
Hayward didn’t mean to become a model, but once she was discovered in a pub and shot by Miles Aldridge, there was no stopping her. “My size never came into my mind,” she told Vogue. The magazine called her a “bombshell,” and what Vogue says always goes.
5. Tess Holliday
Tess Holliday is nothing if not bold. She is to thank for the #effyourbeautystandards movement, and was recently the largest model to be signed to a major modeling agency. Tess describes herself as a “body positive activist,” and doesn’t care about what people think of her. “At the end of the day,” she told People Magazine, “they’re not paying my bills.”
If there’s one thing to remember this summer, it’s this: