“Only 2% of women find themselves beautiful according to a global survey conducted in 10 different countries by Dove.”
A role model and inspiration to the full-figure, curvy girl – model, body activist and entrepreneur, Ashley Graham shares her journey into the fashion industry and how it shaped her life.
Working as a plus-size model, Ashley was spotted in the mall at 12 years-old and signed with one of the largest modeling agencies by the age of 13. She soon after started traveling the world. As she got older, she struggled to keep her weight down and she received a lot of negative comments that ate away at her self-esteem.
As a young adult, she says: “I struggled to achieve true confidence. I would go home and look in the mirror and really hate what I saw. To fill the void on the inside, I began to cave to all the vices being thrown my way between the parties, the men, and the alcohol. I was looking for self-love, for affirmation from somebody; when in reality, I didn’t love who I was.”
No matter what size you are, it’s important to embrace yourself and love yourself regardless of your size. It’s also okay to want to lose weight and get healthy to take the stress off of your heart and your body. However, regardless of your size, your true beautify lies within and let no one define that for you! You’re the only one that gets to do that!
Wisdom Notes From Ashley:
- Face your insecurities head on
- True beauty comes from within
- Validation and self-love must come from within
- Reclaim your body as your own
- Understand that you have a greater purpose
- Redefine your own beauty
- Beauty is beyond size
Source/Disclaimer: This video was produced by TEDx Talks and was uploaded to Youtube. Lifestyle For Her makes no claims or ownership of the video footage.