Gregory Robinson
Ashley Graham has been praised for showing her stretch marks at the MTV Video Music Awards.
The mother-of-three, who welcomed twins in January, attended the award ceremony on Sunday (28 August) wearing a black cut-out dress.
Ashley, 34, proudly modelled her stretch marks and spoke to Access Hollywood about the cut-outs on her dress, the TV presenter and model said: “Tonight it’s like I’m wearing Houghton. So hot. But my stretch marks are out and I’m like ‘Okay here we go stretch marks, let’s go! You know what? I’m gonna show it all off in the photos and in real life.”
She added that she felt ‘sexy’ and ‘hot’ in the designer gown.
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The star shared some behind the scenes snaps from the ceremony on Instagram, including a picture of her modelling her dress at home.
One Instagram user praised Ashley and said: "I need this dress to push myself out of being insecure about my belly button. This is so beautiful! We all need the reminder there is nothing wrong or ugly about us. Love this lady!"
While one woman wrote: "Inspiration to all moms embrace your body. Because giving birth is the most beautiful thing and thank you for making our scares shine."
And a third praised Ashley's confidence, writing: "I admire your self-esteem, I hope one day I feel like you, I don't care about anything".
Ashley has never shied away from sharing untouched and unfiltered pictures of her stretch marks.
After welcoming twins Malachi and Roman, Ashley shared a mirror selfie on her Instagram page in July showing her nude post-pregnancy tummy, with her stretch marks clearly visible.
Fans were delighted with the post, with one Instagram user writing: “I love you!!!!!! You make me feel normal and want to embrace all my flaws!!!!”
In June, Ashley shared an Instagram Reel addressed to ‘all the mamas’ to encourage them to love their postpartum bodies.
“Posting this video for all the mamas who haven’t and may never ‘bounce back’ and for anyone who needs to be reminded that your body is beautiful in its realest form,” she began.
“This is my strong, five-month-postpartum-been-pregnant-for-two-years body. as it is. in hopes to further normalize ALL bodies in every and any stage of life.”
Ashley now has three sons – Isaac, two, and twins Roman and Malachi, eight months – with her husband, Justin Ervin.
During her most recent pregnancy, the supermodel shared pictures of her growing bump on social media and she even dedicated a post to her stretch marks in a nude snap.
Posted roughly a month before she gave birth to her twins, Ashley captioned the post: "Justin says my stretch marks look like the tree of life."
Women were overjoyed after seeing Ashley's intimate post, with one account responding responding with: "What a beautiful reminder of the life we have created in our bodies."
Another Instagram user shared: "This makes me proud to be a woman."
While a third Instagram account wrote: "Brings back memories...I am a mother of twin girls and my stomach looked just like this..."