Ashley Graham Not Happy with “Plus-Size”

Ashley Graham says the term “plus-sized” is “divisive.” The model has been outspoken about the phrases fashion uses to categorize people as long as people would listen (basically since she covered the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in 2015).

“I think the word ‘plus-sized’ is so divisive to women,” Graham, 30, tells Gayle King on this week’s episode of CBS Sunday Morning. “I think that when you use the word ‘plus-size,’ you’re putting all these women into a category.”

• She says that generalizations made about people who fall into that category are anything but positive.
• “‘You don’t eat well. You don’t work out. You couldn’t care less about your body. You’re insecure. You have no confidence.’ And that is none of this,” Graham says, referring to herself.
• Graham sees the term “plus-size” as losing its power, pointing to her second appearance as SI‘s cover star in 2016 (along with two other models).
• “Sports Illustrated decided to have curvy women not only in their magazine but on the cover of their magazine,” Graham tells CBS Sunday Morning. “Now that means size diversity is here, and it’s real, and it’s not a trend.”
• Still, she doesn’t think modeling isn’t for everyone.
• “I say to them, ‘Who – why would you want to become a model? Why would you want to be picked apart all the time?’ ” she says. “‘Why don’t you go be the editor? Why not just strive to be, like, Anna Wintour? Or why not be a designer and tell models what to do all day?’ “