Ashley Graham didn’t automatically say no to walking in the 2024 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.
A day after Graham, 36, took part in a fashion show alongside Gigi Hadid, Bella Hadid, Adriana Lima and Behati Prinsloo, she revealed on Instagram why she was initially “hesitant” to be a part of the show.
“When @victoriassecret first approached me, I’ll be honest — I was hesitant. For years, the brand didn’t feel like it was made for someone like me. Their vision of beauty felt narrow, like everything they created was for one body type only —and it wasn’t mine,’ Graham wrote alongside a series of photos of her backstage and catwalk shots, in a post published on Wednesday, October 16.
“But after speaking with VS leadership, I saw a real change,” she wrote. “They were excited for me to join the show and reassured me that this wasn’t just a one-off thing. Curvy models weren’t just a symbol—VS really wants[ed] be part of the body diversity revolution.”
The model, who walked the runway in a sexy black lace bodysuit, sheer cape and large gold flowered wings, said Victoria’s Secret convinced her they were committed to “embracing body diversity in a lasting, meaningful way.”
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Ashley Graham on the runway at the 2024 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.
Matt Baron/BEI/Shutterstock
“So I said yes. I said yes to represent ALL OF US, to show up for every body that’s ever been unseen. And that’s a journey I’m proud to walk,” she added.
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Before the show, Graham told PEOPLE that she “feels really excited” to walk the runway.
“I’m not nervous and everything is very safe, we’re not going to have anything pop out, which makes me feel good so I can show off, and honestly I’m more excited about the full representation that’s going to happen during the show,” she said.
The mom of three also revealed to PEOPLE that she had a say in what she wore.
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Ashley Graham backstage at the 2024 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.
ashley graham/instagram
“The first thing they gave me was this little, tiny underwear, and I said, ‘Hi, I just had three kids,'” Graham said.
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“Even though it was two years ago, but I was like, ‘Can we put anything else on?’ Then I got the bodysuit and I feel really sexy in it, and then when the wings came out, that’s when I was like, ‘Oh yeah, I feel like an angel,'” she told PEOPLE.
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Source: HIS Education