Ashley Graham is embracing her new stretch marks in gorgeous new photos for her Swimsuits For All swimwear line.
The new mom, who welcomed her first child with husband Justin Ervin in January, spoke to People magazine about accepting her new postpartum body after the birth of her son, Isaac. Graham also revealed why she felt it was important not to retouch her new stretch marks in the photos.
“With a new postpartum body, I thought that things were going to feel different, and that they were going to look different, and they do, but it’s a new found joy in that,” Graham said.
“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,’” she added.
Despite looking and feeling different, the TV host said that she still “felt so empowered” with the shoot, which was shot by Ervin on her family farm in Nebraska.
“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,’” Graham said. “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.’”
Commenters praised Graham on social media and thanked her for, as always, keeping things real.
“Oh the confidence you give all of us by posting this 😍 thank you!!! Working on my journey to love this body I now have!” one follower wrote.
“Come on warrior stripes!!! Show out for the mommas out here Ashley!!!” another added.
Graham posed for a previous Swimsuits for All ad campaign while she was pregnant.
Throughout her pregnancy, the entertainer documented the ups and downs of her journey with fans. When she began to struggle with her changing body, Graham decided to post a nude photo to start a conversation with others going through the same thing.
“I had just announced that I was pregnant and I thought then I was going to feel good and I didn’t. I just felt terrible,” Graham said on her digital series, “Fearless With Ashley Graham,” and started to get emotional. “And that morning, actually … I was like, ‘Get it together, Ashley, there’s other women out there that are going through the same thing as you — why don’t you have a dialogue?’”
Her back-and-forth with followers continued, as she posted a photo embracing her stretch marks one month after giving birth.
“Same me. few new stories,” she wrote in February.
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