GMA Announces Body Proud Series
Bravo to Good Morning America (GMA) for creating its “‘GMA’ Body Proud” series featuring real conversations about body image with women of all ages featuring Body Activist Ashley Graham! You may know that Graham made history last year as the first so-called curvy model to have an ad in the iconic Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue. When she flaunted her figure on the runway in her new Modern Boudoir lingerie line for Addition Elle in September, her New York Fashion Week debut generated huge buzz online. Graham also generates huge buzz for what she does behind the camera and off the runway, making it her personal mission to be a “disrupter” in a fashion industry that is known for highlighting stick-thin models and a singular look.
This fabulous series runs this entire week. So, be sure to tune in and catch the segments. Speaking of segments, the first segment aired this morning with Graham and her own mom, Linda, Graham encouraged young girls with three tips to become “body proud.”
1) Give Love to Your Flaws. “I really want women to start looking in the mirror and looking at those things that they call flaws and start saying, ‘I love you. I love you back fat. I love you cellulite,’ because that’s what’s really going to change your mind.”
2) Work Out for Endorphins. “I also think that working out is very important because you release these endorphins in your brain that constantly keep you happy. I think working out two to three times a week is very important.”
3) Become Your Own Role Model. “If you’re looking in the mirror and you don’t see yourself as a role model, then there’s a huge problem there. Yes you should have role models in your life but not because of how many Instagram followers they have or how big their booty is, it should really, truly be about because of what they’re doing to change things in the world.”
Graham’s mom, Linda, encouraged moms like herself to keep up their self esteem by helping others and to help their daughters by focusing on what is right with their bodies instead of what is wrong.
She also said that if moms are struggling to stay positive, they should fake it until they make it.
“Just keep doing it and finally it becomes automatic,” she said.
I personally couldn’t agree more. May this positive trend within media and corporations’ cause marketing campaigns to shift body image perceptions of girls and women continue!