During the last live episode of Naomi Campbellâs No Filter with Naomi YouTube series, the modelâs guest was Ashley Graham, who opened up about everything from new motherhood to her own YouTube show Thank Bod and her podcast Pretty Big Deal. One of the memories the models bonded over was from back in 2016, when another model went public with her feelings about the gorgeous Graham on the Sports Illustrated cover.
At first, Ashley talks about how she never thought of Sports Illustrated as a place where sheâd ever model.
âI didnât even think of Sports Illustrated as being an option for me because I am a size 14-16, I have cellulite, I have back fat, my arms are round, I have lower belly fat. I donât think I look bad, I think I look great, but thereâs never been a girl that looks like me in that magazine,â she told Campbell. The second year Ashley tried, she actually made it into the magazine, and not just made it into it, she got the coveted cover!
But there will always be haters ...
Ashley encountered one of them immediately after she was on the cover. She told Campbell about another model who was âso upsetâ she had gotten the Sports Illustrated cover. âAnd she said that I was âvery large,â that women my size should not be on the cover,â she told Campbell. When Campbell pressed her and asked who that was, Ashley only responded very professionally, âYou can go look it up! Itâs a model before your generationâŚâ She also gave an extra clue: that the offending modelâs name started with the letter C.
While Ashley didn't disclose who it was, a little digging will give you the answer.
We now know that the model who said those things was 70s model Cheryl Tiegs, who in 2016 spoke out against a woman of Ashleyâs "size" being on the cover of Sports Illustrated. âActually I donât like it that weâre talking about full-figured women because itâs glamorizing them and your waist should be smaller than 35 [inches],â the old-school 72-year-old model, who herself was in Sports Illustrated, told E! News in 2016.
Ashley, of course, took it all in stride.
âIt brought a whole conversation about what is health, what is beauty, what is sexy, and what do men want to see because Sports Illustrated is such a âmanâsâ magazine,â Ashley pointed out. While the comments were probably hurtful, Ashley saw them as an opportunity for dialogue and for continuing to move the needle into a more inclusive place.
The full conversation between icons is fascinating.
The models went in deep on beauty, about labels, about brands that have always supported and embraced curvier women (both gave huge props to Donna Karan). And weâre glad that the world is finally embracing the beauty that is every body.
If you want to see the full chat, check out the YouTube video from Naomi Campbell's series here.
