Every year, Sports Illustrated features "rookies" in their Swimsuit Edition, and this year they are featuring Ashley Graham.

Graham is a plus-size model and advocate for body positivity. She's starred in multiple campaigns for Lane Bryant and Swimsuits for All, a company that sells swimsuits running from size 8 and up. She's also given her own TED Talk and designed her own lingerie line. You can say Graham is pretty awesome.

Graham will be featured in the Swimsuit Edition of Sports Illustrated; however, she will not be the first plus-size model. In 2015, Robyn Lawley was a featured rookie, coming in at a size 12. Graham is a size 16, a size that most merchandisers do not carry in the stores. It may not seem like a big deal, but it is.

This past year has been pretty revolutionary in the modeling/body image category, with a few snafus along the way (looking at you, Calvin Klein). There are people like Chrissy Teigen being honest about their stretch marks, Mattel coming out with petite, tall and curvy Barbies, and now Graham being featured in the coveted Swimsuit Edition. All of these examples encourage people to be body positive and accept who they are.

Instead of seeing models who are smaller than them, girls will see a model who actually looks like them. They will see someone who is their size and exudes beauty and confidence. It's taken me 21 years to feel comfortable in my own body and to feel like society can see me as beautiful. Instead of feeling inadequate and threatened by the models in magazines and the beauty standards of society, I, as well as many other girls, finally feel comfortable and represented.

So, from all girls everywhere, thank you, Sports Illustrated, for featuring Ashley Graham. And Ashley, thank you for being you and teaching people that confident is the most beautiful thing a person can be.

Click here to see Graham's TED Talk. It's pretty great.