The professional model became the first plus-size model to land on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue and is going to be a judge on the 23rd season of "America's Next Top Model," but she has dealt with negative comments her entire career.
In an essay she wrote for Lenny Letter, Graham explained that even though she is confident in herself and her body, she had a hard time facing some criticisms after posting a recent Instagram.
The photo showed Graham in a white skirt, matching crop top, and a Balmain leather jacket. She said she loved the photo and had no doubts about sharing it to her social page. But she instantly received backlash from people saying they were "so disappointed" in her and "you don't make plus-size dollars anymore, you make backstabbing dollars."
She was thrown off.
"To some I'm too curvy," Graham wrote. "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."
As an activist who promotes body postivity, Graham explained that tearing each other down over sizes accomplishes nothing.
Graham said she wants women to feel comfortable with their own bodies, and that means not shaming anyone for looking different.
"I am more than my measurements," Graham said. "I'm not Ashley Graham just because I'm curvy."
She added that tbat she is using her social media platforms to raise her voice in an effort to enact change and perceptions of body image.
"We can't create change until we recognize and check our own actions," she said. "If you see another woman taking a selfie or a photo in her bathing suit, encourage her because she actually feels beautiful, don't give her the side eye because you think she's feeling herself too hard."
Women need to focus on their own bodies rather than tearing each other apart, she added.
"My body is my body," she wrote. "I'll call the shots."