Ashley Graham covers the October issue of Elle Canada. I’m okay with the photoshoot – some of the shots are gorgeous and striking, some are rather plain. There’s already a minor controversy about one of the shots, the one where you can see all of Ashley’s legs. There are claims that Elle Canada was a little bit overzealous with the airbrushing/Photoshop on her thighs. I can see where they airbrushed the hell out of her cellulite, but it seems like Elle didn’t “reduce” the size of thighs, you know? They just smoothed everything out, but she’s still the same size. As for the interview, I learned some new stuff about her, like how she decided not to have sex with her husband before marriage. You can read the full piece here, and here are some highlights:

Her appearance in DNCE’s music video: “I didn’t think the video would have the impact it did. I just thought it was going to be cute. But the comments have been so positive. These girls are like, ‘OMG, thanks for putting “real women” in a music video.’ I don’t believe in that term, but, you know, bravo to DNCE for stepping out of the box and really taking it there by having a girl who typically isn’t represented.”

Unapologetic about her body: “You know what’s so funny? I think women think I’m inspirational because I’m unapologetic. I have cellulite. I have back fat. I’ve got a thick stomach. But I work my body like I don’t because I don’t know any other body. I don’t know how to feel thin. I just know how to feel like Ashley.”

She married her husband when she was 22: “I was a baby! But in Nebraska, everybody is married by 22. By the time we met, I’d been travelling the world by myself [for modelling] since I was 12. I had also dated half of New York City. In other words, I had seen and done, like, a lot. And then all of a sudden I met this hot guy at church.”

What she believes in: “I believe that what goes around comes around. That kindness gets you further than anything else. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. When I was growing up, my parents always told me ‘Don’t have sex until you’re married,’ so I was like, ‘Okay, I’m going to go out and have a ton of sex.’ But then an ex-boyfriend made me realize that I need to respect my body and I need to have a man respect my body. It’s not for everybody, but, in order for that to happen for me, I needed to not have sex [again] until I was married. My husband and I waited; call me crazy, but it worked. Our sex is amazing! It made me feel like I had the power back in my dating life. He respected me more because I wasn’t willing to just give it up. I tell my friends to wait three months. Just see if he can wait. If he can, he’s a good guy. And, again, it’s not for everybody, but for me it was great. It’s something I’m actually really proud of.”

Beefcakes like bigger girls too: “Those were muscle guys, and those are the types of guys you don’t think like curvy women, but they love them. Girls my size are like, ‘Oh, I could never get a guy like that.’ Actually, you could, girlfriend! I’m living proof that you can have whatever you want in spite of what people say is a ‘flaw.’ Whether it’s a race thing or not being smart enough or pretty enough—there are so many things that are hanging over women’s heads, but you have to fight through it.”

There’s no such thing as the Perfect Body: “I’ve been a size 12, and I thought I was so hot. But now I’m a 14 to 16, and I honestly couldn’t be happier—I’m just content. Of course, I look at my body and think ‘Oh, I want to tighten up my arms a bit, or I wish my ass was lifted higher.’ But nobody has the perfect body. There’s no such thing.”

[From Elle Canada]

I’ll say this about Ashley: she has made me a believer, and whenever I read her interviews, I feel better about myself and my own body “flaws.” It is genuinely inspirational to see a “bigger” woman (bigger than the usual body-archetypes held up as aspirational) who is comfortable in her own skin, and wants the same thing for all women. As for Ashley having a come-to-Jesus moment about not giving away the cookies to every dude she met… I think it’s worth noting that she had a lot of fun before that and she “sowed her oats” and then decided to wait. Plus, she says it’s not for everybody, and it was her choice. It’s not like she’s telling all women to “save themselves” for marriage.

Photos courtesy of Elle Canada.