Ashley Grahamwants to help inspire women toembrace their new curves— stretch marks and all.
Ina first look atthe third episode of her digital series,Fearless with Ashley Graham, the model andfirst-time mom-to-bespoke with mother of four Taylor Hoit about the positive effect being candid about body changes can have on other women, who might be having a difficult time with their own journey.
“I actually first discovered you when you posted a photo of yourself on Instagram,” Graham, 32, says in the clip to Hoit, who had shared a powerful photo of her postpartum body 10 weeks after having twins, shortly after Graham shared a nude photo thathighlighted her stretch marksearlier this year.
“This body has grown four children,” Hoit wrote in the caption of her post. “This same body gave birth to two of those children 10 weeks ago and somehow I find myselfstruggling to accept this bodyas if it didn’t just give birth.”
Hoit went on to explain that the impetus behind the social media share was a conversation revolving around weight that was going on in the mom group she belonged to.
“It was a day where everyone was saying, ‘This is how much I’ve gained, this is how much I’ve lost,this is what I look like,’ andI wanted to change that conversation,” she said. “Like, what are we talking about? We grow children — our bodies did that. How grateful and lucky we are that we’ve done that?”
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Hoit added that although she “struggled” with the post and actually “wanted to take it down,”after Graham “Liked” the image, she decided to “keep it up.”
The Canadian mom went on to note that what’s been so challenging is that “this time” around,her body hasn’t “bounced back” asquickly as it has in the past.
“I feel like maybe my body’s changed forever,” she explained, “and I’m just trying to figure out how to feel beautiful on the inside and the outside.”
Ashley Graham.Sarah Haas/Warner Bros.
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“It’s interesting that you say that because the reason why I had posted that original photo, I had justannounced that I was pregnantand I thought then I was going to feel good and I didn’t. I just felt terrible. And that morning, actually … ” she said, stopping herself as she began to cry.
“That morning, I was like, ‘Get it together, Ashley, there’s other women out there that aregoing through the same thing as you— why don’t you have a dialogue?’ ” she explained.
Adding that theexperience of having a “new body”made her feel “so isolated” and “so alone,” Graham noted that pregnancy has meant having “to come into this new world of body confidence.”
Kelly Taub/BFA
“One of the greatest parts of this pregnancy journey has been making friends with and bonding with other moms,” she added. “There were six pregnant moms at the shower, who’ve all been a part of my support system. We talk about all of thedifferent aspects of pregnancyand motherhood, especially around taking care of ourselves as well.”
The third episode ofFearless with Ashley Grahamwill begin streaming onellentube.comat 7 a.m. on Friday.
source: people.com
