Ashley Graham has reflected on the ups and downs of her career.
Ashley Graham has been “rejected a lot” during her career.
The 39-year-old star is now one of the most recognisable models in the world, but Ashley faced lots of setbacks en route to the top of the fashion industry.
Speaking at Business Insider’s The Long Play, Ashley shared: “I have been rejected a lot.
“The entertainment industry will reject you high and low – especially the modelling industry where you’re not supposed to be old and … chubby. I’m not calling myself chubby; I’m just saying that’s what the fashion industry says.
“So, I have learned to take everything that comes at me, and every rejection, with a grain of salt and a learning curve.” Ashley recalled suffering a particularly painful setback after being booked for the cover of Italian Vogue magazine.
The brunette beauty was ultimately dropped by the publication, meaning she didn’t appear on the cover.
She shared: “The night before, they called me and said I had been released. I was the only girl that had been confirmed that had been released the night before and I remember crying … my tears were rolling into a bowl of pasta.”
Despite this, Ashley’s career soon bounced back in spectacular fashion, when she made an appearance in Sports Illustrated magazine.
She said: “I had to convince myself that it wasn’t me, which is very hard – especially when your whole business is riding on covers and interest and staying in the limelight. But it wasn’t six months later that I was in an ad in Sports Illustrated.”
Meanwhile, Ashley previously admitted that she feels disheartened by the rise of weight-loss drugs.
The model appeared on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in 2016, and she became a spokesperson for the body positivity movement – but Ashley fears that a lot of that hard work is now being undone by weight-loss drugs.
Speaking to Marie Claire, Ashley explained: “It’s really disheartening.
“There was a pendulum that swung that was so body acceptance, positivity, everybody be who they want to be. And now it’s going back this whole opposite way that feels like a smack in the face to the women who have felt like they’ve had a voice.”
Ashley Graham: I have been rejected a lot
