Ashley Graham Quotes

My first shoot was on a rooftop in swimsuits with two plus-size models who were curvy and voluptuous and beautiful, and they taught me so much about being beautiful in any shape or size.

Some people say there's a reason that Victoria's Secret wouldn't put me or any woman who doesn't fit within a certain spectrum on the runway.

My visibility may have gotten Hollywood to redefine what's attractive.

Fashion can always be a part of your life no matter what shape or size you are. You don't need to feel like you have to fit into a box because you aren't a certain size that your favorite designer carries.

Part of the reason I wanted to model was to push the boundaries and challenge the perceptions of what a beautiful body is supposed to look like. Why should I feel any differently about looking good than anyone else?

Nobody else knew what to do with me because big women are old.

Just because we're a bit curvier doesn't mean we don't want to look great.

One cabbie chastened me by saying that the fashion industry was doing harm to young people, who are trying to live up to an unrealistic ideal. It prompted me to make body image and diversity key issues on 'The Business of Fashion.'

Sierra' is me being a plus-size woman.

If I didn't have to fit in to sample sizes I'd be a size 14, easy. I wouldn't bat an eyelid.

I am not my skin. I am a model with a skin condition.

My hair was curly, and everyone else's was straight or in micro braids. I didn't have a lot of money, so I shopped at thrift stores. And I'm petite - I never looked shapely. I remember thinking, 'Will I ever have that stereotypical round, full butt that people think most black women have? I had to find another way to feel good about myself.

I'm thin and white and blond, but I'm not an airbrushed, perfect thing. I have stretch marks all over. I have cellulite; I have acne. To me, it feels like you can't really be what you can't see, and so if you don't see those things, then you don't feel like you're valid.

I think the word 'plus-sized' is so divisive to women.

It's always been a dream to be in a beauty campaign. Anything that can show girls they can look ethereal at any size.

Beauty doesn't have to be confined to one tiny singular tiny frame and I've always really enjoyed standing up for women and representing different shapes within the industry.

I've never wanted to look like models on the cover of magazines. I represent the majority of women and I'm very proud of that.

There's no such thing as a standard size movie star, or woman for that matter.

Every woman is not a runway model, nor should she be.

I like to refer to myself as 'The George Clooney of the Lane Bryant set.'

No one wants to see curvy women.

The funny thing is, when I ask people with dark skin if they would change their color, they tell me no, and when I ask women if they would rather be men, they tell me no, and I get the same response when I ask people with unusual anatomies if they would take a magic pill to erase their unusual features.

I did a little modeling in Minnesota, but because I was a heavier 'model,' I didn't pursue it much when I lived there.

The plus size movement is not just about fashion; it's about body image, and if we're doing a shoot, they won't retouch us at all. That's the cool thing: there's no retouching at all because we want to give girls the truth, not a fabrication.

To me, I always felt like I was carrying a torch for women of any size to be themselves - it doesn't matter whether you're a size 2 or a 22, just be who you are.