Ashley Graham receives the first Women’s Empowerment Award

Ashley Graham has been honoured with the first Women’s Empowerment Award.
The award was presented by the United Nations Women for Peace Association (UNWFPA) at a luncheon held in New York on Thursday (08Mar18).
The 30-year-old has been praised by many for her efforts in promoting body positivity within the fashion industry, and shared how her role as an activist came to be in her winner’s speech.
“When I started the #BeautyBeyondSize hashtag, I began thinking of myself as a body activist,” she explained to the audience. “I focused on influencing the fashion industry to become more inclusive. But as I travelled along this journey, I realised that the conversation wasn’t just about body diversity and the fashion industry — it was about every single woman.”
Ashley insisted that the fight for equality must go beyond the fashion industry, claiming that it is something “all women face”.
“That’s a young girl who could become the next Serena Williams and didn’t try out for tennis or another young girl who didn’t go to student council but could be walking in the halls of the UN,” she hypothesised.
Ashley was dressed in an asymmetrical, one-sleeved black dress by Bianca and Bridgett when she took to the stage to collect her award, paired with black T-strap pumps, and she wore her hair in a sleek up-do. She also honoured her role as Revlon ambassador by finishing her look with the brand’s Super Lustrous lipstick in Boss Lady, which the fashion icon said “empowers me to share my story to uplift women around the world”.
The former Vogue cover girl posted a photo of herself at the event to her Instagram page following the ceremony, where she thanked the organisation for the “incredible honour,” that coincided with International Women’s Day.