Kudos, Sports Illustrated!
It’s safe to say that Kate Upton‘s voluptuous back-to-back covers broke the mold in 2012 and 2013, but this year plus-size model (yes, we said plus-size!) Ashley Graham is completely changing the conversation for the magazine’s annual swimsuit issue, on newsstands Feb. 9.
For the first time, SI will feature a plus-size swimwear ad. “I know my curves are sexy and I want everyone else to know that theirs are too,” the model, 27, said in a statement about her campaign for swimsuitsforall. “There is no reason to hide and every reason to flaunt.”
The size-16 beauty — whose resume includes spreads in Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, Glamour, and Latina — bares her curvy body in a tiny black bikini designed by the swimwear brand.
Graham recently slammed Hollywood for using Jennifer Lawrence as a curvy girl role model in an interview with the The Edit. “Jennifer Lawrence is the media’s poster girl for curves — she’s tiny,” she said. “There needs to be more education in schools, because that’s where eating disorders start. It’s not just about being healthy; it’s also about loving who you are.”
Moving forward, the model and the swimwear brand plan to go full throttle with a social media campaign, tagged #CurvesinBikinis, to show their curvy girl pride. “Tastes and body types change over time and curves have never been more ‘in.’ There is no better way to celebrate and show off than by donning a bikini,” said swimsuitsforall CEO and President Moshe Laniado.
