Ashley Graham on relearning to love her body after birth amid pressure to 'snap back'
Ashley Graham has shared an open and honest message to fellow mothers, revealing how her body confidence has been impacted by the birth of her twins. The model, who welcomed her sons in January of this year, recently opened up about their traumatic birth – which resulted in her losing litres of blood and being unable to leave home for two months – and how this triggered negative feelings towards her body.
"Like so many women, what I went through with childbirth has reshaped my relationship with my body," she told Glamour. "I say this knowing that I am the person who has been shouting from the rooftops to you all, 'Love the skin you’re in.' Yet for me, the births of all my three children threw a lot of that out of the window."
In fact, the 34-year-old admits she was "naive" about what life – and her relationship with her body – would be like after giving birth. "I was plunged into the postpartum experience — the handbook that no one can give you," she recalled, adding that in 2019 after the birth of her first son, Isaac, she "obsessed over 20 pounds that just wouldn’t come off". It's a feeling that she experienced once again, with a heightened sense, after welcoming her twins. "The aftermath was deeply overwhelming," she explained. "I was a wreck, and when I saw myself in the mirror, I still felt like I looked pregnant."
The model continued: "I work in an industry that expects me to return to work in a body that has 'snapped back' – a pressure that no woman, in any industry, deserves to feel. I have always fought against unfair and unrealistic standards and yet, if I am being completely honest, here I was, expecting myself to snap back. And fast."
Despite battling with this pressure for some time, Ashley admits that by sharing her experience with other mothers on social media, and by speaking kindly to herself through affirmations, she's been able to take steps towards loving her body once more. "I've learned it’s okay if the journey to love the skin you’re in is more complex than you could ever have imagined," she added. "Even now, if I’m completely honest, I go in waves. I am still not entirely comfortable in my body, no matter my own body positivity advocacy."
But, she says, "I am bold, I am brilliant, I am beautiful... we all are."
Well said Ash! We love to see celebs speaking so honestly about body confidence and reaffirming what we all should know by know: No matter what your body looks like on the outside, you're beautiful just the way you are!
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