Ashley Graham, first-ever plus-sized model, graces the cover—is she really “plus-sized?”
The 52nd Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition, with three unique covers, is making headlines this winter. This year, the headlines are about Sports Illustrated’s decision to feature, on one of the covers, rookie plus-sized model Ashley Graham.
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While one of the other covers features an actual female athlete, MMA fighter Ronda Rousey—itself unprecedented as far as I can tell—more attention is on 28-year-old Graham. At a US size 16, Graham, from Nebraska, is the first ever Sports Illustrated cover model who meets the nebulous definition of “plus-size,” generally considered above US standard sizes 6-10. However, size 6-10 is smaller than the size of the average American woman, pointing to clear weight bias in the modeling industry. While lower weights are the norm, there also seems a penchant for models with at least a smaller frame. This is not exactly news for women or US models.
Graham was also in Sports Illustrated’s 2015 issue, though because she was in an advertisement, the model who gets credit as the first plus-size featured model is Robyn Lawley, also included in the 2015 edition. Of course, plus-size models are not new. In 1993, Anna Nicole Smith was named Playboy Playmate of the Year, which comes with its own cover, albeit a different magazine, and perhaps demographic than Sports Illustrated.
With plus-size models such as Graham, Lawley, as well as model Tess Holliday (formerly Tess Munster), receiving media attention in recent years, it’s clear the fashion industry is embracing taller, heavier and/or bustier women. For her part, Graham spends a lot of time promoting body positivity. With respect to the Sports Illustrated cover, Graham said, this “is for every woman who felt like she wasn’t beautiful enough because of her size.”
In a sold-out TEDx talk last year in Spain, she also spoke out against the term plus-size.
“The fashion industry may persist to label me as ‘plus-size,’ but I like to think of it as ‘my size.’” “Curvy models are becoming more and more vocal about the isolating nature of the term ‘plus-size.’ We are calling ourselves what we want to be called–women, with shapes that are our own.”
As a self-described feminist, I am so happy for all women who have such a beautiful role models to look towards. A woman who is beautiful to look at, but who also uses her position to lift others up and speak out against the way our culture treats women who aren’t perfect—itself a completely arbitrary concept.
Graham, who also has her own lingerie line and uses the motto “Stand up for curves. Confidence is sexy.” on her website, also said in her talk:
“I felt free once I realized I was never going to fit the mold that society wanted me to fit in. I was never going to be perfect enough for an industry that defines perfection from the outside and that’s OK. Rolls, curves, cellulite, all of it–I love every part of me.”
It’s important to note that body positivity isn’t skinny-shaming. Some people take, “I love (fill in the blank)” to mean, “I hate (fill in the blank)” or “Anything other than (fill in the blank) is wrong.” That’s clearly not what Ashely Graham feels and it’s not what I feel either. Graham wants to do away with the “real woman” phrase that genders stereotypes and excludes. To Elle magazine, last year, she said:
“I don’t like to use the words ‘real women,’ honestly. I like to use the word ‘woman.’ And I say that because there are so many women out there who are naturally thin, or are naturally curvy. I think when we start putting a label on the type of woman it gets misconstrued and starts to offend people. At the end of the day we just all want to be known as women or models or actresses or whatever.”
When the hashtag #BeachBodyReady trended on Twitter last Spring, Ashley tweeted an image of herself in a swimsuit reversing the question “are you beach body ready?” by asking if people were ready for her beach body.
That is confidence! That’s a woman I want my daughters to look up to. Finding beautiful people isn’t difficult. Finding good people is a bit harder. Finding someone whose beauty can be found at every layer of their being; that’s worth celebrating.
Source: 30dB.com – Ashley Graham and Sports Illustrated
Photo Credit: Getty Images
Perhaps the waifish thin heroin-chic aesthetic was never what most men wanted in the first place. This was the image pushed by fashion editors and magazine publishers and not the actual men who were interested in actual women. Ashley Graham looks normal to me; not plus sized. I’m told that women dress for other women, which is surely true. The crazy heels, the complicated clothes, the thick make up, the obsessing over weight… Ladies, we don’t care! We like you in sweats with your hair a mess as long as you’re in a good mood. Neither men nor women like… Read more »
Perhaps the waifish thin heroin-chic aesthetic was never what most men wanted in the first place. Agreed. As a guy who grew up as a young boy this was never the type of body I was led to believe was the type of woman I was suppose to lust after. This was the image pushed by fashion editors and magazine publishers and not the actual men who were interested in actual women. I think we do have a disconnect. In trying to address women’s body image issues there is a bit of a false belief that guys want women with… Read more »
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I was struggling with my own insecurities about my weight since my son was born. Losing these last 15 lbs, usually 115, has been nerve wracking. I even hid myself from the world thinking I was hideous. A relief to know that curves and extra bit of fat are not appalling.
Being a woman with some curves, its great reading comments from men about this topic. I’m usually a tiny wistful 115 lbs, but since my son I’ve been struggling to lose the last 15 and have been insecure about the way I look. Thank you so much!
Bizarrely, in the world of fashion, Ashley Graham is plus-sized. In the world of human males meeting women in person, she’s much closer to ideal than the pencil-with-implants that seems to be the ideal of fashion photographers.
And, oh, yes SI’s swimsuit issue objectifies women. On the other hand, there are many, many magazines which objectify women. At least SI does it only once per year.
SI has a tradition showing off sexy bodies (of men and women) so having a diverse range of bodies represented is a good thing. Different people consider different types and shapes to be attractive so its good to see a mix. If you see something you don’t like just skip on to something else. However as a guy, personally I don’t care about this particular cover because I don’t care about SI in general. It’s not like I was an avid fan and I’m going to stop supporting it because of this nor am I going to start supporting it… Read more »
Ah yes, the annual S.I. swimsuit issue ‘Controversy’ (I suspect initiated by S.I. to generate sales!) What exactly is the ‘Controversy’ again? That they added a more curvaceous, buxom model to the mix? What? You don’t think men will find her attractive? First thing is you must realize that none of these models roll out of bed looking like they do in the magazine. First there’s the makeup session that can last 3 hours or more(full body makeup is required for these kind of shoots, not to mention the ‘Body Paint ‘ shoots) then lighting is adjusted, different types of… Read more »
Waite a minute, I’m confused … large or small, isn’t SI swimsuit edition objectifying women? Kind of surprised seeing this article at GMP. We’re not talking about advertising, SI swimsuit is for one thing and I don’t think men are buying swimsuits for their lady friends via the magazine ,,,,,
Totally agree. I thought thats what this article was going to be about, that either way its objectification. And at the end of the day it seems what you look like is the most important thing about you… which is pretty dodgy.
Sports Illustrated covers are for the “attractive”. She is very attractive. No real change. That she is also heavier and bustier is a minor twist, at best. Personally, I don’t expect covers of magazines to be inclusive beyond these minor twists, as I would not expect Forbes to place a person with no money on their yearly cover – other than to make a point about something tangential. Inclusivity should mean that we don’t discriminate based on illegitimate mental associations between traits – ex. more attractive people are smarter. Inclusivity should not mean, outside of being extra nice for various… Read more »
It’s certainly a step in the right direction. All the ladies are beautiful. But it’s not exactly a giant leap. How about showing a woman who is 50 on the cover? How about showing more ethnic models? How about showing a 50 year old black woman? How about showing a woman who is plus sized by average american standards? How about styling the photos to not simply highlight women’s sexuality even as you highlight their bodies? That is completely possible.
Its called Sports Illustrated for a reason. It’s target demographic are men who appreciate beauty. If they were to grab a 50 year old black woman it would probably be Iman Abdulmajid and she wouldn’t be what average women look like. Magazines will always promote beauty. I don’t think there would be a big market show casing average looking women, older or younger as a swimsuit issue. I’ve seen a couple in the past, and Ive never seen them again. I love Sports Illustrated, being a woman who appreciates beauty. As for diversity, you’d be surprised that the ‘white’ looking… Read more »
She’s plus sized outside the U.S. I had a 34″ waist until I was about 30. It’s between a 36 and 38 now. If I remember correctly, the average woman in the U.S. has a size 36 waist. I’m 45 pounds above fighting weight about 25 pounds of that is muscle. I’m 48 years old and been out of the gym for at least 15 years. There’s something wrong when the average sized woman is a biscuit for breakfast away from me.
Part of it is people are taller these days, puberty was starting earlier leading to some increased height and width, bone size, muscle size, etc.
John, you size assessment is actually not accurate. The average US woman wears a size 14, which depending on brand, is somewhere between a 32-33 inch waist.
OK, that would make a little more sense. I thought it was 22″ = size 0 and one inch per size after that.
Size 0 is a 25 inch waist, and sizes go 0, 2, 4, etc. Even numbers, generally.
Well, I can understand some of the arguments causing controversy. They say that they are put out there for men, and men have a right to want what they want. Well first of all, SI is not a “men’s” magazine. It is a sports mag, and women play sports. Likewise, I’m a man and I’ve never been a fan of the “bones and sex organs” type of woman. They look more like little boys then women. Not a fan of the waif like male models either. I like curves myself, and I personally find Graham to be sexy as hell.… Read more »
Great article, Michael. This is what real women look like. We eat. We have curves, we are not skin and bones. Nor should we be.
Jenny – I totally understand what your saying. But not all ‘real’ women have pronounced curves. Some women are simply naturally slender. Or they don’t have wide hips or big breasts – they don’t have pronounced curves like the lovely ladies on the cover of Sports Illustrated. While slender body types dominate our media, and encouraging other body types is a must, real women look all kinds of ways. Be them slender, curvy or anything inbetween.
Agreed. No less than an hour ago I saw a woman with kids who was much shorter than the average woman at the height of a typical 10-12 year old around here, very slender, and she was every bit as real as the other women next to her.
Skin and bones is very insulting. I’ve seen that term used for women who had quite appreciative levels of muscle mass. I have a friend who eats and eats and eats and is the typical female model body type and has major difficulty gaining weight. Everyone’s body is different.
Absolutely, Erin, I am simply addressing the overall societal standard of what “beauty” is and it’s not a full figured woman in the US. There is so much pressure on women and girls to be skinny. But, absolutely valid point and I should have added that. Women, like men, come in all shapes and sizes. And we need to accept that.
Jenny, so any woman who doesn’t look like you isn’t real?
She is a great example of a woman. Kudos to the GoodMenProject for highlighting her. She obviously has her head in the right place and assets to back it up.
Not a guy… I was thrilled to see her as a cover model. She is absolutely stunning! What I find entertaining are the comments on how she must be unhealthy. They did a full Good Morning America segment with her versus a standard size model, and she was healthier blood pressure/cholesterol/blood sugar, etc. all of that. She works out a lot, and the doctor they had on the show was trying to keep up with the lifting/exercise demo she was showing that is her favorite. The doctor could not keep up. So yes, she’s plus sized but she also leads… Read more »
Never understood this about women’s fashion. One needs at least a masters degree in mathematics, strong in calculus, to even begin to unravel the equations. Not fashion, but the scariest experience for me was when my wife asked me to stop and get her some type of tampex. I figured, “Ok, no problem. Right… Think I could find the one she wanted? I mean, its a damn tampex, yet there were like forty different styles from panty liners to wings. I was like, “they freaking fly now”? No more petite, plus size or anything else. Plus size just says, fat,… Read more »
I shop in the Mr Big aisle, They try to reference it to “Kingsize” “Mr Big” “Big and Tall”. Everything goes Large, extra large, 2xl-10xl or higher. I’d rather they just used a number like pants say 48inch or they might say 130cm.
Might as well have full figure people on magazines like Sport Illustrated since our population is getting more obese. Have you ever notice how people in the TV commercials these days are full size?