A bikini body does not exclusively mean having a slim and petite body -- and Sports Illustrated has finally taken the step toward supporting this concept.
For the first time ever, a plus-size model will be seen in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition.
The 27-year-old Ashley Graham, a size 14 model, has become the first plus-size model to appear on the pages of Sports Illustrated magazine. In an ad for Swimsuits for All, an online retailer of women's swimsuits from sizes 8 and up, Graham will appear in the highly anticipated annual swimsuit issue, which will hit the stands on Feb. 9.
Graham will appear in a magazine known to feature slimmer models including the likes of Adriana Lima, Behati Prinsloo, Chrissy Teigen and Heidi Klum.
"I know my curves are sexy and I want everyone else to know that theirs are too. There is no reason to hide and every reason to flaunt," Graham said. "The world is ready for more curves in bikinis."
The ad is part of the #CurvesinBikinis campaign that aims to celebrate the start of the "Curvy Girl Era" and help women become confident and feel sexy in any swimsuit.
The campaign marks a crucial milestone not just for Sports Illustrated but for the fashion industry in general, with critics slamming the alleged discrimination against plus-size women.
Graham herself has wanted the media to embrace curved women. In an essay she wrote for The Edit, the model, who has also appeared in Glamour, Harper's Bazaar and Vogue, said that size does not matter as long as a person takes care of his or her body and works out.
Fashion expert Louise Roe said that she was thrilled that Sport Illustrated is taking a stand to support the plus-size industry. She pointed out that the magazine was helping set a good example for other fashion publications worldwide.
"Honestly, I'm thrilled to see this," Roe said. "Over the last couple of years, the fashion industry has changed so much and opened up to new ways of doing things -- from transgender models on the runway to the rise of power-bloggers on the front row -- it's enlightening to see old 'rules' being broken down."
Besides the print campaign, the brand also has a video ad of Graham strolling along the beach in a bikini and getting the attention of male admirers. It ends with the curvy model flinging her bikini top into a swimming pool and smiling at the camera.
