Ashley Graham looks chic in a figure-hugging white lace dress and high heels in NYC
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Ashley Graham cut a sophisticated figure in a white lace Simkhai dress while making an appearance as a St. Tropez ambassador at Ulta Beauty on Wednesday.
The supermodel, 36, looked radiant as she arrived at the cosmetics store in Herald Square, where she mingled with fans, rocking a pair of white shades, hoop earrings and strappy high heels.
For the occasion, the mother-of-three, who is married to cinematographer Justin Ervin, styled her waist-length brunette tresses in loose waves.
During the event, she shared her secrets of achieving sun-kissed skin all-year long, which includes using St. Tropez range of self-tanning gels, mousses, mists and lotions.
Back in 2021, she revealed that she teamed up with the brand because it has always been her 'go-to tanning brand.'
Ashley Graham cut a sophisticated figure in a white lace dress while doing an in-store event for Ulta Beauty as a St. Tropez ambassador on Wednesday
'For years, I’ve used their products for a natural-looking, healthy, sun-kissed glow,' she told Forbes. 'For me, having a great tan isn’t just about how it makes me look, but how it makes me feel.'
As for why she uses self-tanner, Graham said she's 'always loved healthy' and enjoys how 'St. Tropez also combines serious skincare with self-tanner.'
'Having a little glow makes me feel like I can take on the world,' the Sports Illustrated cover girl added.
Still, she admitted that like 'everyone' she's also suffered a 'self-tanning disaster.'
'I once ruined a nice pair of white bed sheets, but I feel like such a pro now,' she recalled. 'What I love about St. Tropez is that all their formulas are so easy to use and leave zero transfer. If I can do it, you can do it!'
Graham's latest sighting comes after recently opening up about being called 'big' by her peers as a child in a personal essay, titled The Words I Use to Encourage Self-Love, for Time.
'I was 9 years old when I was first confronted with the idea of beauty. I'd always been a larger kid—stout, athletic. People would tell me I was "big and strong,"' she shared.
'But this girl, a stranger I saw one day at Target—she was different.
'She had long, thin legs, a flat tummy, and grown-up breasts. Her blonde hair fell perfectly down her shoulders.
The supermodel, 36, looked radiant as she arrived at the cosmetics store in Herald Square, where she mingled with fans, rocking a pair of white shades, hoop earrings and strappy high heels
For the occasion, the mother-of-three, who is married to cinematographer Justin Ervin, styled her waist-length brunette tresses in loose waves
'I was so young, and yet I knew: she was pretty. I wanted to be that. I didn't know what modeling was back then—I didn't even know what fashion was—but I wanted what she had. I wanted to command attention.'
As a model, she explained that she would be told that she's 'pretty for a big girl' or 'pretty from the neck up.'
'My teachers would tilt their heads and squint at me, looking for whatever the industry saw,' she added. 'I would fly to modeling jobs in New York City over the weekend with my mom, and be back in school facing the name-calling on Monday.'
She continued: ''I wish I'd had a mentor back then—someone to help me understand my value and my purpose as a model. But there was no one I could look to and emulate, no one who'd gone through the same challenges to hold my hand and tell me that none of the noise mattered, that I just needed to keep moving forward.'
During her appearance, she shared her secrets of achieving sun-kissed skin all-year long, which includes using St. Tropez range of self-tanning gels, mousses, mists and lotions
Back in 2021, she revealed that she teamed up with the brand because it has always been her 'go-to tanning brand'
Luckily Graham had a smart mom who could see the future.
'One day I finally called my mom crying, looking in the mirror and just feeling like I couldn't do it anymore,' she shared.
'She told me something I'll never forget: your body is going to change someone's life. You have to keep going… That was the "aha" moment for me.'
Ashley added: 'My mom helped me understand my purpose. As I let her words sink in, I thought about how for years I'd let other people tell me who I was. I needed to define my worth for myself. And I could use words, like my mom had, to do it.'
She also talked the influence she has made on the world.
'My body has changed things for other people, and there's an incredible honor—and an incredible pressure—that comes with knowing that,' she said.
'I've always wanted women to see themselves in me, to know that any validation I get is equally theirs.
Graham's latest sighting comes after recently opening up about being called 'big' by her peers as a child in a personal essay, titled The Words I Use to Encourage Self-Love
'But sharing my body with the world has also meant that the people I've set out to represent sometimes assume an ownership over my appearance. We all change.
'I was 28 when I appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit. Now I'm 36 and a mother of three.'
Graham them said: 'My body looked different when I was pregnant, and it looks different now that I've given birth to my three sons.
'Losing weight after having kids has brought on comments from people who feel betrayed by the changes they see.
'I never want women to think I'm leaving them behind, and at the same time, all I can do is accept the journey I'm on and to focus on the things that make me feel strong and empowered—which is all any of us can do.
'Maybe I'll lose weight, maybe I'll gain it. This is my body, and I'm incredibly proud of everything it has accomplished.'
