“If Botticelli were alive today, he would abandon the Venus de Milo and paint her in her place to create his masterpiece,” writes the journalist from
Maxim
magazine about Ashley Graham.
The 35-year-old model has just been named "the sexiest woman in the world" by the American monthly, which puts her in the spotlight of its May-June 2023 issue. On this front page, she appears in lingerie, wearing her long, voluminous brown hair, with a glamorous makeover to her fingertips.
“It's not just a model, it's a movement, and we're here for that,” explains the editor in the article associated with the cover.
"Queen of curves"
This self-proclaimed ambassador of the body-positive phenomenon is even named "queen of curves" by the men's magazine.
Attesting that Ashley Graham has breathed “a breath of fresh air” into the fashion industry,
Maxim
notably acknowledges her influence in advancing inclusiveness in “a world where size zero has reigned supreme for far too long” .
“We can consider everyone's shape and size, gender, ethnicity and age as part of who they are;
it doesn't have to be negative or positive.
It should be something that's easily accepted, and we don't need to have these conversations all the time,” Ashley Graham reiterates in this interview, “our bodies are always changing, and they're always evolving.
I used my own body as a tool to be able to talk about those feelings.”
New postpartum body
The journalist reports how much this title of "sexiest woman in the world" has value in the eyes of Ashley Graham.
"The first time I did the cover of
Maxim
[
en avril 2016, NDLR
], I did not have three children, and this time I have three little babies", explains the one who gave birth to twins in January 2021. “It reminds you that being 'sexy' is possible in many scenarios and comes in all shapes and sizes.
I have always preached that”.
And to admit: “After seeing my body change so much after having three children in a row, it is difficult to accept my body and where I am, and how new and different it looks.
Read alsoA year after giving birth, Ashley Graham grabs the skin of her flabby belly to uninhibit mothers
Grateful for this postpartum highlight, the mother of Isaac, Roman and Malachi posted some behind-the-scenes photos from the photoshoot on her Instagram account.
“Thank you Maxim for having me again,” she captioned her post, shared days after the magazine cover was revealed.
Categories of beauties
As for the rest of the ranking “Maxim Hot 100” (“The 100 sexiest women of
Maxim
” in French), the magazine does not create a numbered hierarchy between the 99 other women.
On the other hand, these are “arranged” in categories.
The magazine lists in particular the "heartbreakers" of Hollywood such as actresses Margot Robbie, Ana de Armas, Sydney Sweeney or Lily-Rose Depp.
Maxim
also lists "fashion legends", like models Emily Ratajkowski, Bella Hadid or Cara Delevingne.
The magazine even brings together "icons and megastars" such as Lady Gaga, Selena Gomez, Dua Lipa, Rihanna, Ariana Grande, Miley Cyrus or even Zendaya.