Ashley Graham has been incredibly open about her pregnancy, sharing every milestone with fans on social media. Now, the model, who is due any day now, has posted a video of herself at the gym in which she stuns with an array of yoga poses and stretches that will make even the most seasoned yoga expert sit up and take notice.
Graham, who is expecting her first child, a baby boy, with Justin Ervin, a videographer, has been a champion of body positivity, even before her pregnancy. Embracing her curves and size, she has been hailed as the world’s first ‘plus-size’ supermodel, a title she doesn’t care for.
"I think that when you use the word 'plus-size' you're putting all these women into a category: 'You don't eat well.' 'You don't work out.' 'You could care less about your body.' 'You're insecure.' 'You have no confidence.' And that is none of this (pointing at her body)"... The fashion industry may persist to label me as 'plus-size,' but I like to think of it as 'my size," she told Refinery 29.
According to Tommys.org, the largest non-profit funding research organization in the UK, which explores the causes of miscarriage, stillbirth and premature birth, practicing yoga during pregnancy is a great way for women to remain active and healthy. Yoga teaches pregnant women relaxation and breathing techniques that can help reduce anxiety, enabling women to stay calm during pregnancy and labor. Yoga also aids with sleep and can minimize the need for pain relief while giving birth. In addition, women with high-risk pregnancies can reduce complications by practicing yoga.
In her new yoga video, which is set to Montell Jordan’s 1995 hit, “This Is How We Do It,” the 32-year-old model shows that even up to the last month of pregnancy, women can stay active and strong. Graham, who captioned the video, “9 months in and this is how we do it 🧘🏻💪🏼 🎶,” already has plans to return to work after giving birth. She has been announced as the host of the second season of American Beauty Star, in which twelve contestants from different areas of the fashion industry compete in a variety of design tasks.
Graham’s yoga video isn’t the first time that the model has defied the stereotype of pregnant women as continually exhausted and inactive. Last week, she power-walked across the Brooklyn Bridge in the freezing cold, joking that she planned to walk her baby out of her. “It’s going to be 2.5 miles all the way home,” she added.
The model is not only an advocate for body positivity. She has also battled racism as her husband is black. The couple, who met in 2009, were married in 2009. In a 2017 interview with CBS, Graham said that her relationship had shocked her family back in Nebraska.
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“I will never forget that feeling of just sitting there with Justin, thinking, 'I'm so embarrassed that I had to bring him in to meet these people, these people who raised me and taught me how to live, and he's being treated so terribly,'” she said. Luckily, Ervin helped her put things into perspective, saying, “Racism is never surprising, but it's always disappointing.”