Ashley Graham managed to get some mother-daughter bonding time in during her most recent swimwear shoot — because her mom was posing right beside her.
Linda Graham, the supermodel’s 53-year-old mother, joined Ashley for her new Swimsuits For All campaign, starring right alongside the 30-year-old in a series of bikinis and one-piece suits.
Yet despite looking like a natural on camera, Linda told Vogue that she’d never done anything like this before — and had never even worn a string bikini prior to the sexy, sunny shoot.
Like mother, like daughter! Ashley Graham stars with her mom Linda Graham in her latest Swimsuits For All campaign
Good genes: Ashley, 30, and Linda, 53, both wear the brand’s bikinis for the campaign
The images, which were shot by photographer Ben Watts in Morocco, debuted today.
‘I got it from my mama,’ Ashley wrote on Instagram. ‘Introducing @themamagraham in Morocco for my new @swimsuitsforall campaign!’
Ashley has been working with Swimsuits For All for several years, and her first campaign for the brand made headlines when it ran in the 2015 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue — making her the first-ever plus-size model to appear in the magazine.
Swimsuits For All has continued to try new things with ads, including casting models of different shapes and ages. And now, it’s getting multi-generational.
Ashley revealed that when the brand pitched the idea to her, she was very excited and agreed wright away
Groundbreaking: Linda, who also wore one-pieces, said this was the first time she had ever worn a string bikini
Preparing: Last summer, just months before the shoot, she donned a bikini for the first time in 30 years
‘When they came to me with the [concept] I was like, that is such a good idea, don’t even ask her — I’m going to tell her! She has no choice!
‘[My mother] was with me from the start and helped me through all the trials and tribulations it took to get to this point, so being able to have her actually in front of the camera with me and modeling my designs felt like such a surreal moment,’ she added.
Her mom, meanwhile, was a good sport — even if it meant showing much more skin on camera than she ever had at the beach.
‘I had never put on a string bikini. Ever,’ she said, adding that she has usually preferred more modest swimwear. ‘Here I am at 53 years old and in a hot pink string bikini [on set], but I was kind of in love with that swimsuit!’
Bonding time: Ashley said she was excited to have her mom join her for the shoot
Traveling team: The pair enjoyed the time together in Morocco
While this was Linda’s first string bikini, it wasn’t her first time in a two piece. In fact, last summer she wore a bikini with Ashley in Bali — the first time she’d done so in more than 30 years.
‘It was fun because when we were [in Bali] taking pictures in our pool, Ashley was giving me pointers and tips, and so when this opportunity showed up, it was like, okay, let’s do this! It was so comforting having her there, making me feel comfortable—it’s funny how the tables have turned.’
Ashley hopes her mother’s confidence in getting in front of the camera in a bikini will encourage other women to do the same.
‘What I want is for women my mother’s age to feel empowered and to know that they too can look just as hot in a one-piece, a two-piece, or string bikini. I believe that beauty is beyond, age, race, or size, and it’s not a trend — at every stage of your life, you can feel beautiful,’ she said.