Ashley Graham Reflects On Being Called ‘Cottage Cheese Thighs’ By Middle School Bullies
perezhilton.comAshley Graham may be an accomplished model now, but her looks weren’t always celebrated. In fact, she was downright bullied because of them in middle school.
In a lengthy essay published by Time on Wednesday, the 36-year-old wrote about the difficulties of growing up with her famously fuller figure — beginning with middle school bullies.
She wrote: Omg that’s so f**ked up… Related: The Bachelorette Has Added A Plus-Sized Contestant! She added that because she was on the receiving end of so much criticism, her “sense of self evolved under the influence of feedback from others.” And that continued even after she was scouted at just 12 years old: How messed up!
And so harmful to an impressionable young woman! Even after returning to school from weekend modeling gigs, she said both students and teachers alike would “tilt their heads and squint at me, looking for whatever the industry saw” because “plus-size wasn’t cool, but the pretty was interesting.” She recalled longing for a mentor who could help her understand her “value and purpose as a model,” but that there was no one in the industry she could “emulate.” But eventually a conversation with her mom changed everything.
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