Ashley Graham got it from her mamma!
The 36-year-old model opened up about how she learned to accept herself while growing up in rural Nebraska — and the pivotal role her mother played in helping her realize her full potential.
"[When I grew up], it was not an era of any sort of social media and no one on television looked like me, so I had to figure it out all on my own," Graham explained in a recent interview. "My mom was the only one who had thick thighs like me and a large butt like mine, or large b----- like mine or was as tall as I was and was as loud as I was."
"Beauty really starts from what you hear from the people who are raising you. I always give a huge testament to my mother for never speaking negatively about herself in front of me and my sisters," the A New Model: What Confidence, Beauty, and Power Really Look Like author emphasized.
Graham has now instilled those same values when it comes to raising her three sons, Isaac, 4, and 2-year-old twins Malachi and Roman, with husband Justin Ervin, which she details inher new book, A Kids Book About Beauty.
"Our boys are 4, 2, and 2. They’re these fearless little dinosaurs that really don't know what life is at all [but] we do have them say things out loud, like 'I am healed, and I am strong, and I am smart and kind," she revealed. "I think parents are going to get a lot out of [the book.] They’ll be reading and questioning, 'Do I talk this nice to myself?' Kids follow exactly what their parents do. You have to be conscious; you have to be self-aware of how you speak about yourself."
Despite her powerhouse attitude, the television personality admitted she has moments of having negative thoughts about herself. "There’s no amount of confidence that you can have, where you won't still go through things in your life," Graham noted.
"It might be a job interview, and a moment of self-doubt — you think, are you worthy of that job? Or maybe you're dating or buying a home ... There are moments where I still talk out loud and say, 'You deserve this, you know what you're doing.' There's nothing weird or hokey about that," she spilled.
The cover girl also got honest about balancing her booming career with taking care of her kiddos. "It's a daily juggle, being a mom," she spilled.
"The daily madness of being a working mom, having a husband who also travels… There’s no such thing as balance. We’re trying to take each day at a time," Graham added.
People conducted the interview with Graham.