Ashley Graham has a message for women everywhere: you don't need anyone else to tell you you're beautiful.
All you need is to know it yourself, on your own terms.
Graham, the 27-year-old model and body image activist who made history as the first to appear in a plus-size ad in Sports Illustrated earlier this year, delivered her message as part of a TEDx Talk that took place at the Berklee College of Music in Valencia, Spain in April, and was posted to YouTube last week.
She began her talk by looking into a mirror and speaking directly to various parts of her body: "Thick thighs, you are just so sexy, you can't stop rubbing each other. That's all right, I'm going to keep you."
From there she launched into a inspiring speech about accepting who you are ... and looking beyond the "plus size" moniker.
"The fashion industry may persist to label me as plus size, but I like to think of it as my size," she said.
It's a persuasive talk that deserves to be heard for all of its nine minutes and 55 seconds.
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