Top 55 Ashley Graham Quotes

I’m a woman of faith. And I really believe that if I say, ‘God, this is what I want,’ He says, ‘I’ll give you your desires, as long as they line up with My will.’

I’m being my real raw self, and that’s what I always preach anyway. What you see is what you get.

I was called the girl that was ‘pretty for a big girl,’ ‘the fat model.’

I love my hourglass figure.

I just don’t live my life in a world where I am not feeling my best, and feeling my best is feeling sexy.

I’ve always been a girl’s girl, and I’ve always enjoyed my girl friends’ relationships, so I want the girls who follow me to feel like we’re besties.

I used to be bound by people who placed limits on what they thought I could do. Through that, I learned that if you want something, you have to be the one to go out and do it. If you don’t ask for something, you’re not going to get it.

People will run up to me with tears in their eyes and say, ‘You’re Ashley Graham?’ and I match their enthusiasm and respond, ‘Yes, I am!’ and all they say is, ‘Thank you so much.’

This is the thing: I know I’m paving the way for the next generation of girls, and they’re not going to have to do this. That’s what I hope. I’ll take the brunt work and just handle it, and then you guys can just sail right on through.

Curvy girls can pull off any look – it’s what we do.

I’ve lived the torment of the names. I’ve lived the torment of boyfriends breaking up with me because they were afraid I was going to be too fat later in life.

The beauty of being a curvier girl is that we’re all shaped so differently.

The runway isn’t just about showing fashion, it’s about gaining confidence. And I really believe that once you’ve got your confidence, you can wear anything, you can do anything.

I’ve had agents tell me, ‘You’re not gonna be on the cover of anything; you’re a catalog girl.’ I’ve had clients tell me, ‘You’re too fat, and we can’t book you any more because you don’t fit into the jeans.’

You can be sexy and feel good in your skin, no matter what size you are.

I tried every diet, from living on cabbage soup to fasting to Weight Watchers, and then came the frozen meals and the shakes. I realized that the more I took care of my body, eating what was good for me, then I felt happy and whole.

I think that when you use the word ‘plus-size,’ you’re putting all these women in a category: ‘You don’t eat well.’ ‘You don’t work out.’ ‘You could care less about your body.’ ‘You’re insecure.’ ‘You have no confidence.’

A lot of who I am is connected to my size, and I am so happy with who I am.

When I post a photo from a ‘good angle,’ I receive criticism for looking smaller and selling out. When I post photos showing my cellulite, stretch marks, and rolls, I’m accused of promoting obesity.

I remember thinking, ‘If I don’t love the woman that I look at in the mirror, I am never going to be successful.’ That was the moment I had to start convincing myself to look in the mirror and start saying, ‘I love you.’

We need to work together to redefine the global image of beauty and continue to push for a more inclusive world.

That’s really truly what my message is – finding self love within yourself and not comparing yourself to others – because there’s no such thing as perfection, because perfection doesn’t exist.

I work out not to lose weight but to maintain my good health. And anyway, if I did want to lose weight, it would be no one’s decision but my own.

It doesn’t matter what size your hips are when you measure them. It’s about, ‘Do you feel good and healthy in those hips?’

I think that no woman has to defend her body, and she should just live her truth. It should never be about the number size of her pants, and it should be about what you’re doing in the world. What does her brain look like and not her hip size.

I started dating at 16.

I am just like any other woman, and I think I am the ‘fattest woman alive’ – but it is really about how you handle your situation.

The biggest misconception is that the purpose of going to the gym is to change your body. We should be working out to be healthy.

My mom’s parents were farmers, so every summer, my sisters and I would help out, hauling pipe and pulling maggots off the corn. We hated it, but it taught me the meaning of good hard work.

I don’t think guys judge curvy women as much as women do. It shocks me how catty some women can be. In my whole life, I only had one guy break up with me over weight.

‘Sexy’ is a state of mind, and it can come in all shapes and sizes. It is different for every person.

Eventually, I joined a church. I didn’t go there to find a boyfriend; I truly wasn’t looking for anyone other than the person I wanted to be.

I’m giving curvy women a seat at a table that we’ve never been invited to before – a table with high-end fashion people who have never considered us beautiful.

I really believe that parents need to know they are shaping the future of their children.

Too fat, too thin, too loud, too quiet – I was never going to fit the standards others created for me. Instead of complying, I protested.

People called me ‘cottage cheese thighs’ all through school.

I hit the beauty jackpot, I get it, but that’s not enough: you’ve got to have more to have longevity in this business. It’s always been, ‘OK, so what can I do now?’

To some, I’m too curvy. To others, I’m too tall, too busty, too loud, and, now, too small – too much, but at the same time not enough.

As a professional selfie taker, I know my angles. And I know how to look 20 lbs. heavier and 20 lbs. lighter. If Instagram wants to tell me I’ve lost 60 lbs. in one week, then damn, I look good.

I have been so blessed not only to talk about things that I want to talk about in my industry, but also to have a platform – and people want to hear about it.

Honestly, at the end of the day, what I want women to know is that beauty comes in all shapes and sizes. And that it should not define who you are.

Curvy models are becoming more and more vocal about the isolating nature of the term ‘plus-size.’ We are calling ourselves what we want to be called – women, with shapes that are our own.

Social media has truly helped my career because it has given models a voice. And a voice is something that we want to see a change in the industry.

‘Sports Illustrated’ decided to have curvy women not only in their magazine but on the cover of their magazine. Now, that means size diversity is here, and it’s real, and it’s not a trend.

People want to know that there’s someone else out there that looks like them.

I really, truly believe beauty is beyond size.

I felt free once I realized I was never going to fit the narrow mold society wanted me to fit in.

What better time to write a memoir than the big 3-0?

My father was a master of the cutting insult.

There are reasons to set boundaries for yourself, but there are also reasons to keep doors open.

I dated all the wrong men. I thought I could feel appreciated in my body through guys.

When I’m traveling out of the country, a lot of guys give me a high five, and then they’re like, ‘I love your work!’

The fashion industry might persist to label me as plus-sized, but I like to think of it as my-sized.

One thing my mother did is that she never looked in the mirror and said, ‘I’m so fat,’or ‘I’m so ugly. I need to go on a diet.’ Projecting that onto yourself is only going to make your daughter or son think that of themselves. Because they’re a product of you.

There are some days I feel fat. I’m not convinced there’s going to be a moment where every woman in the world wakes up and feels like a million dollars. So, what I want to do is give women the tools that will help when those moments come up. Sometimes it can be as easy as telling yourself that you are beautiful.