Ashley Graham Shares Some Postpartum Realness On Instagram
Ashley Graham posted a photo of her postpartum body on Instagram along with sweet photos of baby Isaac
Back in January 2020, Ashley Graham and her husband, filmmaker Justin Ervin, welcomed their first child. Graham, who has always advocated for body diversity throughout her 20 years as a professional model, has been especially vocal about how her own body looks and feels like postpartum. Today (May 1), she casually shared a photo of her belly, which hasn’t been edited or Photoshopped in the slightest.
The slideshow of photos, which feature some selfies and photos with her baby, shows a candid look into Graham’s everyday life. Honestly, it doesn’t look so different from our own lives.
Even throughout her pregnancy, Graham didn’t hesitate getting super real about how her relationship with her body has changed, and that although it was difficult, her growing belly reminded her of how strong our bodies are.
“[My body] has been changing in some new and interesting ways. It hasn’t been easy to embrace my pregnant body, but it’s definitely a reminder of how awesome our bodies truly are,” Graham said in an interview with Grazia back in early January, weeks before she gave birth. She added, “Nothing fits me. I texted my stylist and I said, I need a fitting. I just need five key pieces.”
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Since having her little one, Graham has been refreshingly honest about her postpartum experience, sharing photos of stretch marks and breastfeeding, and talking about how unprepared she felt when she realized she’d be wearing diapers too. “Raise your hand if you didn’t know you’d be changing your own diapers too. After all these years in fashion I never could’ve guessed that disposable underwear would be my favorite piece of clothing but here we are! No one talks about the recovery and healing (yes even the messy parts) new moms go through. I wanted to show you guys that it’s not all rainbows and butterflies,” she wrote in an Instagram post.
Graham’s fans love how open the model has been about post-pregnancy life. Although celebrities are becoming increasingly more unfiltered when it comes to talking about parenthood and how it affects their body image, more often than not, we’re subjected to picture-perfect versions of what life looks like after you give birth, and those aren’t always realistic. Of course, every person’s postpartum journey is unique and there’s no “right” way of going about it. It’s just inspiring to see all the different perspectives out there, many of which emphasize that even though it’s awesome to experience how badass our bodies are, it’s also not an easy process.
In her most recent Instagram slideshow, one commenter wrote, “I love the reality of these photos.” Another commented, “U inspire my POSTPARTUM JOURNEY.” It’s rad to see Graham reaching her fans in such an authentic, positive way. Keep the real posts coming, Ashley! Moms love to see it.
