Ashley Graham chose to use non retouched paparazzi shots for her swimwear campaign to show women how to embrace their flaws and be more confident in a bikini.
Ashley Graham encourages women to embrace their flaws. (Pic: Instagram)
The 30-year-old model was disheartened when the photographers started following her team whilst they were shooting the newest campaign - inspired by the art deco era of the 1920s - for the brand Swimsuits For All, but instead of letting the possibility of an "unflattering" photo get her down, she turned the experience into an opportunity to inspire women to embrace their own "flaws".
A post shared by A S H L E Y G R A H A M(@theashleygraham) on May 1, 2018 at 10:07am PDT
She explained: "When shooting this campaign in Miami, the paparazzi began following us and taking pictures, looking at their photos sparked an idea, why not use their photos as the campaign images? These raw and unedited images would remind women that they are flawless in their own right and that they already have the perfect beach body! Of course it's daunting knowing the paparazzi may have captured an unflattering photo, but I remind myself that being authentic is beautiful, and I have nothing to hide when it comes to my body because I know it's changing people's lives."
A post shared by A S H L E Y G R A H A M(@theashleygraham) on May 3, 2018 at 9:00am PDT
And the Sports Illustrated model chooses to "embrace" her bikini body and encourages others to "show off" their figures instead of feeling self-conscious.
Speaking to InStyle.com, she said: "I feel like I'm in swimsuits more now than ever, and when I'm shooting, sometimes I'm the only person in a bikini. So I have to be confident! Shooting for Sports Illustrated definitely took me out of my comfort zone, from some of the swimsuit styles to the poses. At the end of the day, I hope these images remind everyone to embrace and love the skin that you're in. Be proud of your body, swim season is the time to show it off!"