‘Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition’ Featuring ‘Plus Size’ Model Ashely Graham

The 2015 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition will feature a plus size model for the very first time. Ashley Graham will be modeling a bikini in the newest SI Swimsuit Edition. Graham, 26, is from Lincoln, Nebraska, and recently completed a new ad for the Swimsuits For All swimwear brand.

Ashley Graham had this to say about being the first plus size model in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition.

“I know my curves are sexy and I want everyone else to know that theirs are too,” the size 16 model said.

“There is no reason to hide and every reason to flaunt.”

An excerpt from Ashley Graham’s Swimsuits For All bikini ad.

“Be a bathing beauty in Ashley’s chic bikini. Hurrah, now this is the kind of positive advert we like to see! Curvaceous plus sized model Ashley Greene looks incredible as she poses up a storm in this iconic swimwear campaign for Sports Illustrated. And what a bikini to flaunt those curves in. There’s nothing more classic than a black two-piece in our eyes- it will always be your first class ticket to instant poolside perfection!”

The 2015 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition’s first plus size model is being heralded by many as an important milestone for not only the insanely popular special edition, but for the fashion industry as a whole. Television personality and “fashion expert” Louise Roe stated during an interview with the Daily Mail that she was “thrilled” to see Ashley Graham being included in the SI Swimsuit Edition. Roe added that the magazine was doing its part to set a positive example for other fashion publications around the globe to follow.

“Honestly, I’m thrilled to see this. Over the last couple of years, the fashion industry has changed so much and opened up to new ways of doing things – from transgender models on the runway to the rise of power bloggers on the front row. It’s enlightening to see old ‘rules’ being broken down,” Louise Roe added.

In addition to the Swimsuits For All print campaign featuring plus size model Ashley Graham, a companion video campaign was also created. Some have deemed the video as risqué. The plus size swimsuit model is shown strolling down the beach, attracting the attention of excited male admirers. The video ends with Graham flinging her bikini top into a swimming pool while turning her head around to smile an ornery grin at the camera. “There is no better way to celebrate and show off than by donning a bikini,” Ashley Graham says.

What do you think about the 2015 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition choosing to feature plus size model Ashley Graham?

[Images via Swimsuits For All]