<p>&ldquo;Ashley Graham is a Woman of the Year because of her authenticity. She embraces everything about herself and in the process lifts others up to do the same. I appreciate and admire how she celebrates life!&rdquo;</p>

- Alison Prato

When I was 17 or 18 years old,” says model Ashley Graham, “I was doing a group shot for this really big campaign, and one girl, who was probably a size 2 or 4, said to me, ‘Did you actually get paid for this job?’ I remember thinking, She’s asking me that because I’m fat.” Graham, now 29, still runs into that model (whom, taking the high road, she refuses to name). “She’s always friendly and nice,” says Graham. “I think she forgot she said it. But it’s one of those things I’ll never forget.”

A decade later Graham has proved not only that she can and should get paid but also that she can—and will—change the whole damn world. This February she became the first size-16 model ever to land the cover of Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit Issue, bringing size acceptance into the mainstream with just one (fabulous) photo. To Graham, who didn’t truly believe she’d be on the cover until the issue was in her hands, this triumph “wasn’t just for curvy girls. It was for every woman. Most of us have not been told, ‘If you have cellulite and your thighs rub together, who cares?’ ”

Graham didn’t always feel so confident. When she moved to New York City after high school to model full-time, she nearly gave up after a summer of being rejected. “I called my mom and she said, ‘You’re there for a reason. Your body is there to change the lives of people,’ ” says Graham. But first her mother reminded her she h