Sexuality in the body: candid black and white photo shoot of plus-size model Ashley Graham

Ashley Graham can rightfully be considered the queen of body positivity and self-love. But in a new interview with V Magazine, the popular plus-size model said that she wasn't always so confident.

Undressing for a luxurious black and white nude photo shoot by Mario Sorrenti, the supermodel told interviewer Tracey Ellis Ross about problems with the perception of her body and how she almost quit modeling at the age of 18 because of a feeling of self-loathing. But when Ashley told her mother that she was going to quit her job and return home, she told her a few wise words that predetermined the fate of the girl.

(12 photos in total)

Source: V Magazine

"I probably hit rock bottom around the age of 18. I was disgusted with myself and told my mom I was going home. She objected to me: "No, you're not going, because you told me that's what you want, and I know that you were created to do it. It doesn't matter what you think about your body, because your body has to change someone's life." I still remember it, because I'm here now and it seems to me that cellulite is normal," Ashley Graham shared in an interview.

The model told how wittily her mother reacted when the girl first discovered cellulite. From an early age, she taught Ashley that it's completely natural and not worth being ashamed of.

"I remember when I had the first signs of cellulite in high school. I complained to my mom: "Isn't that disgusting? It's so ugly." She pulled down her pants and said: "Here, look, I have it too." I gasped in surprise! She looked at me, then at him, and rolled her eyes."

"She didn't tell me it was beautiful or ugly. She just turned it into a subject unworthy of discussion. Cellulite does not determine my value. If women like you and me continue to convey this idea, then, it seems to me, young girls will accept it and will assume that no one cares about it."