Ashley Graham, body activist, model, lingerie designer and all-around beautiful human, is taking her message of body love and acceptance on the road.
The co-founder of ALDA (a coalition of plus-size models) participated in a TEDx Talk in Valencia, Spain, on April 25, where she got real with a sold-out audience of 450 people.
Admiring the parts of her body some might consider "flaws" in a mirror ("Thick thighs, you're so sexy you can't stop rubbing each other," she joked), Graham shares her story, from her early days of plus-size modeling to her current status as a five-time magazine cover star and pioneer in the fight toward self love for all women.
Graham acknowledges that she, like so many other women, has dealt with a lack of confidence. "I would go home and look in the mirror and hate what I saw," she said. But learning to face her insecurities head-on is what allowed her to take back control of her body:
"I felt free, once I realized i was never going to fit the narrow mold that society wanted me to fit in. I was never going to be perfect enough for an industry that defines perfection from the outside in, and that's okay."
It certainly is. Check out the moving video above.
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