Ashley Graham is one of the most relatable models and public figures out there. After becoming the first-ever plus-size model to be featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated, she has made it her mission to spread the body positivity message. And since Graham is keeping it real in every aspect of her life, she also held nothing back throughout her pregnancies, showing what it really takes to be a mom.
Being a mom to a boy and 2 twins, Graham is spreading a message that every mom has a right to choose whether breastfeeding is right for them, regardless of society’s expectations.
In a recent interview, Graham got candid about the consequences of being pregnant that every woman goes through but prefers to not be too vocal about. The model said she also considered keeping some things to herself, admitting, “Especially with how your body is changing when you’re pregnant, and stretchmarks, and the saggy skin, formula, breastfeeding. Cause there’s also this whole thing with people telling you how to feed your child.”
Ashley proceeded to explain her experience with breastfeeding: “With my first kid, I was like, ’I can only breastfeed! This is the right way!’ Then I had the twins, and I was like, ’I’m not doing this. This is not working here. Both of you want both of these? This is a lot of work.’ So I stopped breastfeeding when they were 5 months, and I gave them the best formula that I could find… And these little guys are so strong and so happy.”
Ultimately, Graham believes it’s up to every mom to decide between formula or breastfeeding based on their personal experience. She drove her point home, saying, “I don’t think we should be telling people how we should be feeding our kids.”
The model then became even more relatable, sharing her physical struggles after giving birth. She said, “Your body just fills up with nutrition, and the baby sucks it out of you. And then the baby comes out and all of a sudden you’re just fully depleted of everything, so your hair falls out, you get acne, I mean, the weight doesn’t come off.”
Graham explained her candidness, saying, “I like to represent myself as someone who’s just happy with who I am. And I had a journey, like, it is a journey, body confidence, being okay with who you are is a journey… I don’t ever want to lie.” And we’re all grateful for the model sharing her experiences with us, as it makes mothers around the world feel seen and heard.
Preview photo credit ashleygraham / Instagram, ashleygraham / Instagram
TV Star with Māori Face Tattoo Shuts Down Haters in Epic Response!
A TV presenter with a traditional Māori face tattoo has calmly replied to negative comments from a viewer, proudly standing up for her cultural heritage and identity.
Facial tattoos often spark debates online. Some people think tattoos should only be on the body, while others understand and appreciate their cultural importance.
Oriini Kaipara, 41, made history when she became a newsreader for New Zealand’s Newshub. She is the first primetime TV news presenter to wear a moko kauae, a special facial tattoo for Māori women.
The Māori are the indigenous people of mainland New Zealand. They see moko kauae as important symbols of their heritage and identity. These tattoos, traditionally on the lips and chin, show a woman’s family ties, leadership, and honor her lineage, status, and abilities.
Oriini Kaipara. Credit: Oriini Kaipara / Instagram.
Despite receiving praise, one viewer named David expressed his dislike for Kaipara’s moko kauae in an email to Newshub.
He wrote, “We continue to object strongly to you using a Māori newsreader with a moku [moko] which is offensive and aggressive looking. A bad look. She also bursts into the Māori language which we do not understand. Stop it now,” according to the Daily Mail.
But Kaipara didn’t let David’s negative words stop her. She bravely shared screenshots of his messages on her Instagram story and responded calmly.
“Today I had enough. I responded. I never do that. I broke my own code and hit the send button,” she wrote on her Instagram story alongside a screenshot of David’s message.
Kaipara didn’t just share screenshots of David’s email, she also responded to him. She explained that his complaint wasn’t valid because she hadn’t broken any rules for TV.
She also corrected David’s spelling mistake. He called her tattoo a “moku” instead of “moko”.
In her email back to him, Kaipara said, “I think you don’t like how I look on TV. But tattoos and people with them aren’t scary or bad. We don’t deserve to be treated badly because of them.”
She asked him to stop complaining and to try to understand better. She even joked that maybe he should go back to the 1800s if he couldn’t accept people with tattoos.
Despite David’s negative words, Kaipara says she mostly gets nice comments, and mean ones are rare.
In an interview with the New Zealand Herald, Kaipara talked about how it’s important to have more Māori people in important jobs. She said, “The fact that my existence makes some people upset shows why we need more Māori people in every job.”
Kaipara’s calm response reminds us how important it is to be proud of who you are, even when people are mean. She’s inspiring others to be proud of themselves and stand up to unfair treatment.
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