Ashley Graham had a recent run-in with Cheryl Tiegs over the plus-sized model's turn on the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition cover. Supermodel Cheryl Tiegs, who had been a frequent Sports Illustrated cover during her youth, said that signing Ashley Graham as a fashion model wrongfully glamorizes what Tiegs considered to be unhealthy weight.
Cheryl Tiegs had long since apologized to Ashley Graham and to other women for her words. However, according to Perez Hilton, Cheryl Tiegs is reportedly not alone in her opinion. Major TV networks have been refusing to air a sexy advertisement that features Ashley Graham and similar plus-sized models. The advertisement by Lane Bryant shows Ashley Graham and the other models in various states of undress for the brand's Spring 2016 line. The Lane Bryant campaign is called #ThisBody.
No exact reason was initially given for the rejection of the Lane Bryant Spring 2016 Ashley Graham commercial. Speculations pointed to the possibility that the Ashley Graham advertisement may be too risqué for the major TV networks.
People reports that among the major TV networks that rejected the Lane Bryant Spring 2016 Ashley Graham advertisement are NBC and ABC. NBC qualified their decision, stating that they are not rejecting the advertisement outright.
"As part of the normal advertising standards process, we reviewed a rough cut of the ad and asked for minor edits to comply with broadcast indecency guidelines," an NBC spokesperson stated. "The ad was not rejected and we welcome the updated creative."
Interestingly, the Lane Bryant Spring 2016 Ashley Graham advertisement is no more revealing than similar ads. An example is the Victoria's Secret advertisement aired by these major TV networks.
#BeyondxAG exclusively at the #Dressbar in @DressBarn pic.twitter.com/dxx8ILv1JY
— Ashley Graham (@theashleygraham) March 8, 2016
Lane Bryant points out that #ThisBody is designed to empower and to celebrate women from all walks of life, in their various shapes and forms. With the Lane Bryant Spring 2016 Ashley Graham campaign, women are encouraged to develop their own standards of beauty.
After the Cheryl Tiegs episode, Ashley Graham highlighted that change must be woven into the fashion industry. The Lane Bryant Spring 2016 #ThisBody campaign is the perfect vehicle for Ashley Graham to do so.
