Supermodel and body positive activist Ashley Graham is doing what she does best: inspire others by throwing mainstream perceptions of beauty out the window. Graham, who welcomed her son Isaac with husband Justin Ervin on January 18th, has launched a new size-inclusive swimwear line in collaboration with Swimsuits For All.
She is also modeling the suits in a new campaign for the line, which features bold prints, bright solids and sexy lace, and tells People why she wouldn’t Photoshop the images, which showcase her stretch marks and post-baby curves.
Graham says: “There's always a question of what do you want us to retouch, and what do you want us to take out? And I said, 'Nothing.' I want everybody to know genuinely… I want people to see who I am because everybody has a story.”
She continues: “A lot of women I speak to have image issues, body issues around confidence. I want them to understand that we all have things that society has told us to cover up and why do we need to do that? So here I am with mine out and about and proud.”
Most of all, she says she wants people to feel empowered when the put on a suit.
“It looks so simple and beautiful, but powerful,” Graham explains. “I've got more weight on me. I've stretch marks, and in the beginning I really had to have a lot of conversations with myself and tell myself, 'Okay, new body, new mindset.' But after this photo shoot, I felt so empowered because I was like, 'Yes. I look good. I feel good. This is my new mom bod'.”