Model and author Ashley Graham is a body-positive activist. She routinely shares Photoshop-free images of herself, videos of her workouts and uplifting messages.
But even supermodels aren’t immune to internet haters. When the 29-year-old shared an Instagram video of her working out with a personal trainer Sunday morning, it received plenty of feedback from some very vocal followers.
Some users posted comments like, “Nice ...but i though she was happy with (her) body... I'm glad she's working out.”
Others were just plain nasty.
“It takes quite a few reps to work off that pasta and pizza you shared on Instagram,” wrote one user.
“Work it tubby,” said another.
In typical Graham fashion, she addressed the haters head-on.
“Just for the record — I workout to: stay healthy, feel good, get rid of jet lag, clear my head, show big girls we can move like the rest of em, stay flexible & strong, have more energy,” she wrote on Instagram.
The workout video that prompted her to speak out did receive a ton of supportive comments as well.
“You’re so my idol. Work it girl!!!” wrote Instagram user Carly Pace.
“Please don’t stop posting your fitness videos! They give big girls like me inspiration!” another user wrote.
Graham has made a name for herself not only for her stunning beauty and impressive roster of modeling campaigns, but for speaking out for women of all shapes and sizes. She has been vocal with her message in interviews, on social media, in a TED talk she gave in May 2015, as well as in her book, "A New Model: What Confidence, Beauty, and Power Really Look Like." She even requested that Mattel make her “Shero” collection Barbie doll in her exact scale measurements.
So when it comes to working out, Graham isn’t shy about her motivation.
“I don’t workout to lose weight or my curves because I love the skin I’m in,” she wrote in her Instagram response over the weekend.
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