Ashley Graham Shares Her “Very Different” Postpartum Tummy in New Selfie

On Sunday, Ashley Graham posted a carousel of three photos to Instagram, in which she admired her three-month postpartum belly. The selfies, taken while Graham stood in front of her bathroom mirror, include close-ups of her stretch marks, and the caption says it all: “Hi, new tummy. We’ve been through a lot. Thank you.” We love this powerful message. Personally, I know I’ve felt self-conscious about postpartum stretch marks and loose skin, and this is a beautiful reminder to look down and feel love and gratitude.

Graham had her twins boys, Malachi and Roman, earlier this year. But she’s always been very open about her thoughts on body positivity, and has spoken before about welcoming the changes that come with pregnancy specifically. She’s opened up about embracing pregnancy weight gain, for instance. Several months after giving birth to her first son in January 2020, Graham ensured that photographs being used for a swimsuit campaign she participated in would go unretouched. And while pregnant with her twins, Graham posted this photo of her gorgeous belly, proud that her “stretch marks look like the tree of life.”

Graham aims to love her body through all the different stages of her life. She is the very definition of self-love and self-compassion, and helps to remind us that all bodies are beautiful. Graham has spoken before about her choice to be intentional in the way she thinks and speaks about her body. In a previous interview, she shared: “Our bodies are always changing, it’s always going to be this tug and pull of where you are with your body.” She added, “There is this constant conversation that I’m having with myself, like: ‘Your body is a vessel. Your body is strong. Your body is meant to do this.’ And the affirmations never go away.”