Ashley Graham

Ashley Graham - Plus-size Model, Career and Childhood

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Ashley Graham Biography Stories 

Ashley Graham's Personal Details

Ashley Graham is a popular American plus plus-sized size model

InformationDetail
BirthdayOctober 30, 1987
NationalityAmerican
FamousFashion, Models, Plus-size Model
City/StateNebraska
SpousesJustin Ervin
Universities
  • Lincoln Southwest High School
Birth PlaceLincoln, Nebraska
Height175
GenderFemale
FatherL
MotherLinda Graham
Sun SignScorpio
Born inLincoln, Nebraska
Famous asPlus-size Model
Socials

Ashley Graham's photo

Who is Ashley Graham?

Ashley Graham is a popular American plus-size model. Born and raised in Nebraska, Ashley has had a difficult past. From being confused about her sexual urges to being bullied in school due to her weight, she has suffered a lot. She started modeling in her teens, when she was offered a contract by ‘Wilhelmina Models,’ a popular modeling agency in her home state. She made her way to the covers of a number of popular fashion magazines, such as ‘Vogue’ and ‘YM.’ She gained popularity for representing full-figured women. In 2009, she appeared in a ‘Glamour’ editorial titled ‘These Bodies are Beautiful at Every Size.’ By the end of 2012, she was awarded with the ‘Full Figured Fashion Week’s Model of the Year’ award. In 2013, she designed a lingerie line for ‘Addition Elle.’ She also happens to be the official judge of the talent-hunt show ‘America’s Next Top Model.’ In 2016, she became the first-ever plus-size model to appear on the cover of the ‘Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.’

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Childhood & Early Life

Ashley Graham was born in Lincoln, Nebraska, on October 30, 1987. Her father is a database marketer, and her mother is a homemaker. Ashley grew up with her two younger sisters. Ashley was full-figured even as a kid. Puberty hit her when she was in fourth grade, and that made her experience a lot of sexual abuse.

She had a troubled relationship with her father. She was also a victim of body-shaming in school. She was bullied quite a lot and was called “thunder thighs” due to her oversized thighs.

Ashley soon developed issues due to the abuse she faced in school. She was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and dyslexia. By the time she was 14 years old, older men had begun making sexual advances toward her. Ashley’s mother became very cautious about these incidents. At one point, she even paid Ashley’s younger sisters to scream out “Mom! Mom!” every time they saw an older man approaching Ashley.

Although she resisted any sexual contact at a young age, Ashley became quite liberal about sex as she grew older. This caused her further psychological issues.

She was spotted by a talent agent at a local mall in Nebraska when she was 12 years old. The agent suggested that her mother send some of Ashley’s photos to a modeling agency. This was the beginning of Ashley’s modeling career. She appeared in numerous magazines and billboards before she graduated from ‘Lincoln Southwest High School’ in 2005. She soon arrived in New York to work as a full-time model.

Career

In the early stages of her modeling career, she faced trouble landing jobs due to her unconventional body structure. For the first few years, she received offers to feature as a catalogue girl and was told that she would never be able to go beyond that. She soon got an offer from ‘Ford Models.’ Unfortunately, ‘Ford’ soon shut down their “plus-size” division soon after. This was a major blow to Ashley, and she then joined ‘IMG,’ another top modeling agency.

Soon, her career picked up pace. One of her first major breaks came her way in 2007, when she was profiled by Sally Singer of ‘Vogue’ magazine. In 2009, she appeared in the ‘Glamour’ editorial titled ‘These Bodies are Beautiful at Every Size.’ The campaign featured her alongside other popular plus-size models, such as Kate Dillon Levin, Amy Lemons, Jennie Runk, and Anansa Sims.

She made news again when she appeared in a controversial advertisement for ‘Lane Bryant,’ which was later banned in many countries. By the time it had been taken off from ‘YouTube,’ the commercial had been watched by more than 800 thousand viewers. The commercial was covered by leading American publications such as the ‘New York Post’ and ‘The Huffington Post.’

When the controversy went out of control, she made an appearance on ‘The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,’ to address the issue. The show made her a household name in the US and people appreciated her for being confident about her body, despite being body-shamed by trolls on social media.

In 2010, she made an appearance in the editorial of ‘Bust’ magazine. She then became part of a number of ‘Levi’s’ and ‘Marina Rinaldi’ campaigns. Some of her most notable works have been for ‘Addition Elle,’ ‘Bloomingdale’s,’ ‘Nordstrom,’ and ‘Target.’ In 2012, she appeared on massive billboards for ‘Lane Bryant’ in New York.

Gradually, she came to be regarded as one of the most famous contemporary plus-size models. She earned the ‘Full Figured Fashion Week’s Model of the Year’ award by the end of 2012.

In 2013, Ashley embarked into fashion designing briefly. She designed a lingerie chain for ‘Addition Elle,’ a Canada-based plus-size clothing retailer. The same year, she made an appearance on ‘Made,’ an ‘MTV’ reality show, which featured her as a coach for an aspiring plus-size model. In May 2014, she was featured in ‘Harper's Bazaar’ magazine’s pre-fall collection and beauty editorial. She then appeared on the cover of ‘Elle Quebec.’

In 2015, she appeared in an advertisement in the swimsuit issue of ‘Sports Illustrated’ magazine, as part of the ‘Swimsuit for All’ campaign. The next year, she appeared on the cover of the ‘Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition.’ She became the first plus-size model to have achieved the feat in the magazine’s history. The same year, she appeared in the music video for the song ‘Toothbrush’ by DNCE.

Ashley has appeared as a backstage host of the ‘Miss USA 2016’ and the ‘Miss Universe 2016’ pageants. She repeated the job the following year, too, for both the contests. In addition, she also happens to be the official judge of the talent-hunt show ‘America’s Next Top Model,’ which is broadcast on ‘VH1.’

In 2017, Ashley wrote her autobiography, ‘A New Model: What Confidence, Beauty, and Power Really Look Like.’ The memoir narrates her initial struggle as a plus-size model and tells how she overcame the obstacles with confidence.

Personal Life

Ashley Graham has always been vocal against body-shaming. She has given speeches about body acceptance and body image, in schools. She has supported the ‘Health at Every Size Movement’ and has been part of charitable work in South Africa with the ‘Themba Foundation.’

As her initial relationships were mostly sex-based, Ashley often talks about the drawbacks of such overtly sexual relationships. She claims that when she finally found the right man, she abstained from having sex until they got married. She met Justin Ervin, a videographer, in a church. They dated for a while before getting married in 2010.

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Ashley Graham biography timelines

  • // 30th Oct 1987
    Ashley Graham was born in Lincoln, Nebraska, on October 30, 1987. Her father is a database marketer, and her mother is a homemaker. Ashley grew up with her two younger sisters. Ashley was full-figured even as a kid. Puberty hit her when she was in fourth grade, and that made her experience a lot of sexual abuse.
  • // 2005
    She was spotted by a talent agent at a local mall in Nebraska when she was 12 years old. The agent suggested that her mother send some of Ashley’s photos to a modeling agency. This was the beginning of Ashley’s modeling career. She appeared in numerous magazines and billboards before she graduated from ‘Lincoln Southwest High School’ in 2005. She soon arrived in New York to work as a full-time model.
  • // 2007 To 2009
    Soon, her career picked up pace. One of her first major breaks came her way in 2007, when she was profiled by Sally Singer of ‘Vogue’ magazine. In 2009, she appeared in the ‘Glamour’ editorial titled ‘These Bodies are Beautiful at Every Size.’ The campaign featured her alongside other popular plus-size models, such as Kate Dillon Levin, Amy Lemons, Jennie Runk, and Anansa Sims.
  • // 2010 To 2012
    In 2010, she made an appearance in the editorial of ‘Bust’ magazine. She then became part of a number of ‘Levi’s’ and ‘Marina Rinaldi’ campaigns. Some of her most notable works have been for ‘Addition Elle,’ ‘Bloomingdale’s,’ ‘Nordstrom,’ and ‘Target.’ In 2012, she appeared on massive billboards for ‘Lane Bryant’ in New York.
  • // 2010
    As her initial relationships were mostly sex-based, Ashley often talks about the drawbacks of such overtly sexual relationships. She claims that when she finally found the right man, she abstained from having sex until they got married. She met Justin Ervin, a videographer, in a church. They dated for a while before getting married in 2010.
  • // 2012
    Gradually, she came to be regarded as one of the most famous contemporary plus-size models. She earned the ‘Full Figured Fashion Week’s Model of the Year’ award by the end of 2012.
  • // 2013 To May 2014
    In 2013, Ashley embarked into fashion designing briefly. She designed a lingerie chain for ‘Addition Elle,’ a Canada-based plus-size clothing retailer. The same year, she made an appearance on ‘Made,’ an ‘MTV’ reality show, which featured her as a coach for an aspiring plus-size model. In May 2014, she was featured in ‘Harper's Bazaar’ magazine’s pre-fall collection and beauty editorial. She then appeared on the cover of ‘Elle Quebec.’
  • // 2015
    In 2015, she appeared in an advertisement in the swimsuit issue of ‘Sports Illustrated’ magazine, as part of the ‘Swimsuit for All’ campaign. The next year, she appeared on the cover of the ‘Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition.’ She became the first plus-size model to have achieved the feat in the magazine’s history. The same year, she appeared in the music video for the song ‘Toothbrush’ by DNCE.
  • // 2016
    Ashley has appeared as a backstage host of the ‘Miss USA 2016’ and the ‘Miss Universe 2016’ pageants. She repeated the job the following year, too, for both the contests. In addition, she also happens to be the official judge of the talent-hunt show ‘America’s Next Top Model,’ which is broadcast on ‘VH1.’
  • // 2017
    In 2017, Ashley wrote her autobiography, ‘A New Model: What Confidence, Beauty, and Power Really Look Like.’ The memoir narrates her initial struggle as a plus-size model and tells how she overcame the obstacles with confidence.

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Ashley Graham's FAQ

  • What is Ashley Graham birthday?

    Ashley Graham was born at 1987-10-30

  • Where is Ashley Graham's birth place?

    Ashley Graham was born in Lincoln, Nebraska

  • What is Ashley Graham nationalities?

    Ashley Graham's nationalities is American

  • Who is Ashley Graham spouses?

    Ashley Graham's spouses is Justin Ervin

  • What was Ashley Graham universities?

    Ashley Graham studied at Lincoln Southwest High School

  • How tall is Ashley Graham?

    Ashley Graham's height is 175

  • Who is Ashley Graham's father?

    Ashley Graham's father is L

  • Who is Ashley Graham's mother?

    Ashley Graham's mother is Linda Graham

  • What is Ashley Graham's sun sign?

    Ashley Graham is Scorpio

  • How famous is Ashley Graham?

    Ashley Graham is famouse as Plus-size Model

  • What is Ashley Graham's facebook?

    Ashley Graham's facebook is https://www.facebook.com/theashleygraham/

  • What is Ashley Graham's twitter?

    Ashley Graham's twitter is https://twitter.com/theashleygraham/

  • What is Ashley Graham's instagram?

    Ashley Graham's instagram is https://www.instagram.com/theashleygraham/