Plus Size Model Ashley Graham Has Set Her Sights On Becoming A Supermodel

Ashley Graham is already history in the making. The 27-year-old swimsuit model is the first plus size model to be included in Sports Illustrated‘s coveted Swimsuit Edition, but she doesn’t want to stop there. She has set her sights on becoming a supermodel, and at the rate her career is soaring, she just may become the next Kathy Ireland or Cindy Crawford, curvier, but just as breath taking.

Yahoo News reports that Ashley, in an interview with Coveteur, admits she looks up to Heidi Klum and Kathy Ireland and hopes she can one day achieve their same level of success.

“Those girls, I mean I’ve watched their careers and they have just blossomed into extraordinary and amazing things. I can’t wait to be the curvier version of all of them.”

Graham was also recently interviewed by Katie Couric about plus size modeling standards, the public’s response to her inclusion in Sports Illustrated, and on being a role model for young girls struggling with self image issues.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=At1KGQI71ik

Ashley has even been featured in Time Magazine about her impact on the modeling world. Graham opened up about the criticisms she has faced throughout her career, admitting that the comments about her weight have come at her from every source including fans, agents, and even other models. Her secret to dealing with the negative feedback? Graham says it’s all in “how you handle it” and that she has taken the criticisms and turn them into all into something positive for herself.

Ashley Graham was discovered at the tender age of 12, yet even, then she was told to lose weight in order for her career to take off. Graham’s mom took a hard line with an over zealous agent, refusing to push her daughter to conform to industry standards. That encounter resulted in a serious life lesson being taught to Graham who realized that if her own mother didn’t believe she needed to lose weight, then she really didn’t need to lose it, no matter what anyone else said.

Throughout her 15-year career as a model, Ashley says she has seen the industry change a great deal, for the good, with less emphasis on the size of the model to determine if they are beautiful. While never caving to external pressure to lose weight (or gain weight to be a larger plus sized model) Graham herself chose to lose shed a few pounds, and has settled into a size 14/16, but remains adamant that it was her decision to lose the weight.

“My weight hasn’t gone up or down [since then]. I’ve regulated it now for about seven years, and it’s due to the fact that I’m happy and confident in who I am, and I’m not letting other people dictate where my career is going based on the size of my hips.”

The Inquisitr has been keeping an eye on Ashley’s amazing career, and more on her Sports Illustrated experience can be found here.

[Image courtesy of Daily Motion]