Ashley Graham created her daily mantra when she was 18, and encouraged collegiettes to tell themselves: “I am bold. I am brilliant. I am beautiful. I am worthy of all. I love you.”
Her Campus TCNJ hosted a watch party for Get With the Times’ live conversation with model, author and activist Ashley Graham, hosted at The New School in New York City on March 31. With Joanna Nikas of The New York Times moderating, Graham answered questions about kick-starting her modeling career, her next goals for herself and for continuing to be inclusive and encouraging diversity in the fashion and beauty space today.
Photo courtesy of Denise Ingui.
Maddi Ference, president of Her Campus TCNJ, was thrilled with the turnout of the event. “This is such an important event for Her Campus and the rest of the campus community,” she said, “With girls feeling self-conscious and negative each day on social media, the more people who listen to Ashley, the better. Standards need to change in society.”
Graham is a devoted activist of body positivity and built her career on introducing diversity in the fashion conversation. She was the first curvy model to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated in 2016, and from there developed her inclusive lines of lingerie and swimwear, created her podcast “Pretty Big Deal,” and hosts TV show “American Beauty Star.”
The “Get with the Times” series is dedicated to opening up conversations about issues that matter. As a leading voice in the national conversation of body positivity, Graham was the right fit to discuss redefining beauty standards.
Photo courtesy of Denise Ingui.
She began the lecture with stories of her humble beginnings in New York City when she was 18. Graham moved to New York from Nebraska, “wearing metallic silver high heels, acid wash bell bottoms, and a bedazzled Ed Hardy shirt,” she said, “And everyone was like, who is this girl?”
“And here I am today — not so far off,” Graham joked.
Taking on New York City at such a young age made for some poor decisions, as Graham recounted, as she remembered making terrible financial decisions, sleeping with all the wrong guys, and overall hating her body instead of loving it for all it was. Agencies would turn her down, “telling me I’m too big. I’m just a clothes hanger, and to keep my mouth shut,” said Graham, “That is the epitome of everything I’m not.”
Being thin was equivalent to booking jobs, according to Graham. “My agent said to me ‘put the Snickers down, Ashley. It’s time to get serious.’ But I stayed positive and spoke my truth,” and she attributed her success to that.
On the term, “plus size,” Ashley had a few choice words. “I feel like it’s divisive and archaic,” she said. “We shouldn’t describe our friends based on the number that’s in their pants. And we don’t do it to men!” she exclaimed, which gained much applause from the audience at The New School and TCNJ alike.
Photo courtesy of Kyra Mackesy.
After gaining support and successes as one of the first curvy models recognized in the fashion industry, Graham began to consider her own business ventures. She sought to create fitting yet beautiful lingerie for curvy women, but when she approached her agencies, she was laughed at. Eventually, she found the right team and the right people to listen and see her vision. She told the story of how she got her team to understand the right bra she wanted to create, by lifting her shirt to her investor and asking to fix the issues of spillage she experienced.
“This is how you go out and build a company,” said Graham. “No one is going to be on your side. You go out and start doing it, and don’t wait for someone else to make a move for you. Go out and make the move for yourself.”
Photo courtesy of Mia Ingui.
Graham was also the first curvy model to partner with a major beauty brand, Revlon, to which she said, “Hey everyone, did you know lipstick doesn’t have a size?”
Graham then took questions from the audience and from the participating Her Campus chapters, which were on pivotal moments in her career, defining beauty, and handling rejection.
One audience member asked Graham about attributing the body positivity movement to women of color and how she feels about that, to which Graham candidly admitted that she is privileged to have the voice she does when women of color, “have had this curvy body for generations.” She continued, “I can’t stand it that we haven’t had as many women of color who are this curvy have this opportunity. There needs to be more representation.”
A collegiette from Boston University asked Graham about how she practices self-care: “I had to learn how to, instead of self-critique, make it fun,” said Graham, “I like to go hard at the gym, meditate and pray, and set my intentions for the day. Find your thing and find what makes you peaceful. Have gratitude every day.”
As for the next 5 years for Graham, she hinted at seeing another book, more podcasts, more TV shows, and hopefully, “more high-end designers putting curvy girls in their campaigns.”
Photo courtesy of Mia Ingui.
Amanda Toolan, sophomore communications major at the College, was so grateful to view this lecture. “She’s so influential, and I think that people don’t get true opportunity to listen,” she said. “This opens eyes to so many other options.”
Sara Petrozziello, sophomore Journalism and Professional Writing major, knows this lecture is important for Her Campus and beyond, “I feel she is talking about so many important things that reached a lot of people in HC and out,” she said.
Assistant professor of fashion at The New School, Fiona Dieffenbacher, thanked Graham for her positivity and openness. “To Ashley, thank you so much for opening up the dialogue. Thank you for changing the narrative and pushing us all towards lasting change.”