In today’s society, plus-size men and women face many challenges in their daily lives, but discrimination should not have to be one of them.  People of all shapes and sizes deserve to be seen as beautiful even if they do not necessarily fit the stereotype.

28-year-old model Ashley Graham shocked the world when she was announced as the model of this year’s cover of Sports Illustrated magazine’s swimsuit edition.  Graham has many followers who support her and recognize this as a huge step for plus-size women everywhere. However, there are still some people who disagree.   

In an article on eonline.com, Graham reveals that she herself is not a fan of the plus-size label put on her and other women but respects the people who feel empowered by it.  The number and strength of plus-size models has grown increasingly and given many men and women the power to feel more confident in their bodies.  Models like Tess Holliday, Nadia Aboulhosn, Jada Sezer, Joby Boch, and Graham herself along with many other plus-size models are working to do just that.

Graham’s appearance on the cover is another step to further the movement for anyone who feels that their body is not accepted; however, some people have different views on the matter.  Cheryl Tiegs, a former supermodel who had modeled for the cover of Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition many times herself, criticizes Graham and says that having her on the cover is glamorizing life at an “unhealthy” weight.  Though Tiegs’ comments on Ashley and full-figured women in general were hurtful, Ashley has not let it bother her.  On an episode of The Talk, Sharon Osbourne and a few other women

On an episode of The Talk, Sharon Osbourne and a few other women (including Julie Chen, Sheryl Underwood, Sarah Gilbert, and Aisha Tyler) stood up for Ashley and responded to Tiegs’ comments.  Sharon Osbourne showed Cheryl who’s boss, taking her fair share of jabs and putting emphasis on the 68-year-old former supermodel’s age.  Aisha Tyler also commented on how when Tiegs was a model (back when “dinosaurs were still roaming the earth”), she likely starved herself to gain the figure she had. Newsflash, anorexia is not any healthier than being overweight.

Being full-figured does not necessarily mean that someone is unhealthy. Graham is an individual who exercises and does not encourage people to overeat or gain weight.  Rather, her message is that men and women should feel beautiful and confident regardless of their weight.  This is why it is not so easy to see how people, even as small-minded as Tiegs, could make such rude and ignorant comments on the matter.  Hopefully one day, people will accept that you do not have to be thin to be considered beautiful or even healthy.  Rather than criticizing people who are encouraging others to love themselves, we should be supporting them.  Graham and countless other women are giving people all around the world the power to feel confident in a body that is frowned upon by so many others. The hate that Graham and Sports Illustrated received does not and should not demean what Graham has accomplished and what it means to anyone who does not feel comfortable in their body.