Ashley Graham: 'I Know I’m on This Pedestal Because of White Privilege'

Ashley Graham is decked out in cheetah print in New York magazine‘s Fall Fashion issue cover story!

Here’s what the 29-year-old supermodel told the mag:

On the inequity of her being the only curvy model whose becoming a mainstream star: “I know I’m on this pedestal because of white privilege. To not see black or Latina women as famous in my industry is crazy! I have to talk about it. I want to give those women kudos because they are the ones who paved the way for me.

On why she hates the word plus-size: “Plus what? That’s something I’ve always been told: ‘You’re not good enough because you’re plus-size.’ I’m not here to ban the word from the dictionary – plenty of women own and love it.

On why being famous for her size kind of sucks, too: “People look at my size now and know that’s what makes me famous. That kind of sucks, too, because it’s like, ‘Damn, my size is what makes me famous?’ This is the thing: I know I’m paving the way for the next generation of girls, and they’re not going to have to do this. That’s what I hope. I’ll take the brunt work and just handle it, and then you guys can just sail right on through.”

Also pictured: Ashley all smiles while promoting her new book “A New Model: What Confidence, Beauty, and Power Really Look Like” on Late Night with Seth Meyers on Monday evening (August 7) in New York City.

FYI: Ashley is wearing an Eva Fehren ring.