Ashley Graham made the covers of Sports Illustrated as the world's most popular plus size model, as reported by JobsNHire previously. She is known to be outspoken about her figure. She has campaigned against the industry's definition of beauty against size, color and shape.
Which begs the question - why are fans outraged at Ashley Graham's maxim cover?
Fans and followers alike, took to Twitter to express their disappointment. Ashley Graham's fans were complaining that she looked "too perfect."
Models have been known to be photoshopped and airbrushed on printed magazines and media. However, Ashley Graham's platform as a plus-sized model puts her on the spotlight for criticism.
One Twitter follower stated that the magazine wouldn't want anyone "bigger than her on a magazine cover for a looooong time." Another Twitter user called out the fact that her body was retouched to make her look slimmer.
To defend the Maxim cover, WashingtonPost reports that the fashion photographer (Gilles Bensimon) defended his work. Being responsible for the cover, he said that he didn't slim her down at all. "In fact (almost no photoshop) sorry to disappoint you," he told a commenter.
What does the plus-size model have to say about all this? Ashley Graham echoed Bensimon's remarks. "I'm beyond proud to be the first curvy woman on the cover of Maxim," she said. "I was not slimmed down on the cover, and Gilles Bensimon did an amazing job capturing my true figure in all of the photos. This is another major advancement for curvy women, especially those who work in the fashion industry who are working hard to get the recognition they deserve."
At one point, the cover girl told Entertainment Tonight that she's fine with a little photoshop but not "...reshaping my hips and my thighs and you're taking certain cellulite away... Don't do that, because the customer realizes and the girl who follows me realizes it's just overdone."
While everyone doesn't agree with her Maxim cover, it is clear that she still remains as an advocate to her platform. A model doesn't have it easy, being criticized and told to conform to the industry's standards. It seems a career as a plus-size model is difficult for the likes of Ashley Graham, too.
Are you in the modeling business too? Tell us your experiences about the industry's beauty standards and criticisms.
