This week Ashley Graham made history as the first “curvy” woman to grace the cover of men’s magazine, Maxim. However, her celebrations were cut short, when accusations of “too much Photoshop” flooded the internet. “Definitely Photoshopped. That’s unfortunate after everything you stand for Ashley, your curves are gorgeous and Maxim should not have minimized who you are,” wrote one of Ashley’s 1.5 million followers. “Totally defeats your message,” wrote another. But now the Nebraskan beauty and revered body image activist has hit back in a statement, shutting down any rumors about her body being slimmed down.
“I’m beyond proud to be the first curvy woman on the cover of Maxim,” she wrote, “I was not slimmed down on the cover, and Gilles Bensimon did an amazing job capturing my true figure in all of the photos…This is another major advancement for curvy women, especially those who work in the fashion industry who are working hard to get the recognition they deserve. I now encourage more publications and designers to put more diversity on their covers and runways.” We couldn’t agree more!
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Image via @theashleygraham