Ashley Graham was "traumatised" because there were no Barbies that looked like her growing up.
Ashley Graham now has her own Barbie replica
The body positivity advocate believes she would have had better self-worth when she was younger if the popular Mattel doll had been more inclusive and produced in a wider range of body shapes.
Speaking on 'Today', she told Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager: "If I would have had a Barbie that looked like my body shape growing up, I think my mind would have not been as traumatised.
“And I wouldn’t have looked at myself in the mirror and thought, ‘Why do I have this and she has that?’ “
To mark Ashley's new job as host of 'Barbie Dreamhouse Challenge', Mattel have created a doll in her likeness and the 35-year-old model - who has Isaac, three, and 18-month-old twins Roman and Malachi with husband Justin Ervin - is delighted, though the manufacturers couldn't get everything the way she'd asked.
She said: “She’s got thick thighs. She’s got a round butt. She has lower belly fat.
“The one thing I did ask for was cellulite," she explained. "But they couldn’t do cellulite."
Ashley has "become more confident" over the years and having her children has changed her view of herself and her body.
She said: “Having kids, my body has been all around. It’s been this, it’s been that, and then back again.
"I’ve just been able to say thank you to my body because I’ve done so much. And being able to tell my story has enabled so many women to tell their story, and to find confidence within themselves.
"I’ve got saggy skin on my stomach. I’ve got cellulite all over my body. I’ve got stretch marks everywhere and that’s okay because my body is my body, and I have embraced it. I want little girls to know that.”
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