The 2018 Miss Universe pageant will premiere Sunday evening and will be hosted by American Supermodel Ashley Graham. The model, who is categorized as plus size, is vocal about inclusion and body positivity.
Graham has been seen on television before as a judge on America's Next Top Model (ANTM). She'll enter the series hosting arena with the premiere of Season 2 of American Beauty Star, which is scheduled to premiere January 2.
The model explained her hosting inspiration came from none other than her ANTM co-worker Tyra Banks. "I wanted to embody her spirit in American Beauty Star and I wanted to walk in with a little bit of my Tyra-isms," Graham told The Hollywood Reporter. "Walking in with the intention each day of who I am and what I want to portray in the show really helped. Tyra has been such an incredible mentor to me ever since I met her."
Along with her television appearances, Graham made her way to the public eye by her successful modeling career. She's been seen on the covers of American Vogue, Elle, Harper's Bazaar and even the Sports Illustrated swimsuit cover. For her successes, Graham thinks it was Vogue that truly made her.
"I looked at the stylist and I was like, "These shorts are custom Prada?" I have never had custom anything from Prada in my entire life!" she said of the cover shoot. "And, at that point, I don't even think I owned anything Prada yet. And in that moment, I thought, "I have made it. I am officially a fashion girl." But I still don't fit into half of the fashion clothes, so we still have got to fix that!"
Graham is also an author. She released her first book "A New Model: What Confidence, Beauty and Power Really Look Like" in 2017. The book follows Graham's life in modeling, as well as the challenge of acceptance in beauty standards throughout America.
The Miss Universe pageant is not without controversy this year. Miss USA, Sarah Rose Summers, caught fire for commenting on two of her competitors lack of English communication. She said Miss Vietnam is "so cute and she pretends to know so much English and then you ask her a question after having a whole conversation with her and she (nods and smiles)."
Summers later apologized for the comments. "In a moment where I intended to admire the courage of a few of my sisters, I said something that I now realize can be perceived as not respectful, and I apologize," she said, CNN reported Saturday.
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