A chorus of celebrities — namely Chrissy Tiegen, Serena Williams, Halsey and other public figures — have reframed the conversation around pregnancy in recent years, getting real about grief, the joy of childbirth, body image and maternity style (take Rihanna’s bejewelled baby bump as proof of these shifting norms).

In December, supermodel Ashley Graham (then pregnant with two boys, born earlier this month) notably shared a photo of the stretch marks that lined her belly like the “tree of life,” per her husband of over a decade, Justin Ervin.

A global ambassador for Knix, Ashley Graham and Joanna Griffiths, founder and CEO of the Canadian intimates brand, who gave birth to twin girls last year, connected over their shared experience of navigating gender barriers. The result of that bond is a new film conceptualized by Graham and Griffiths celebrating the “magnitude of female strength in all its forms.”

Released February 23 at the AdWeek Challenger Brands Summit ahead of International Women’s Day on March 8, Big. Strong. Woman sees a belly-baring Graham (the coolest maternity style of 2022) in a sleek black suit jacket, bra and pants as video footage of lightning flashes behind her.

“Big and strong is what we tell every boy to be,” she says as a montage of clips take over. “But what about us girls? We have to be big and strong. Strong enough to love ourselves when the world is telling us not to.” Interestingly, that very idea was tested on set when Knix was unable to find a designer that made suits in Graham’s size, or for pregnant bodies. In the end, the team sourced a custom suit with designer Brandon Maxwell.

ashley graham knix
Photography courtesy of Knix

“I am beyond thrilled to show the world what we’ve been working on for Knix. Together with Joanna, we created this film to showcase all the challenges women face that make them the very picture of strength that should be celebrated every day,” Ashley Graham, who serves as creative director on the Knix project, said in a release.

“From choosing to defy traditional gender norms, or enduring the physical and mental strength required to navigate fertility challenges, and loss. There are so many ways that women have to be big and strong. This was a message I wanted to share with my own twin girls,” Griffiths added.

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