If you haven't heard of DNCE by now, chances are you probably will soon, and if you're still a hardcore Jonas Brothers fan, then you already know what's up. The geniuses behind the catchy track "Cake By the Ocean" have conjured up not only another great track, but a controversial video. "Toothbrush" is the latest single from frontman Joe Jonas' crazy new band. The song takes us through the journey of the classic "Should I stay or should I go" stage of a new relationship, but that's not what's got heads turning. Jonas turned to model Ashley Graham to play his love interest in the video. Why is this so shocking? Clearly, I've said a model is playing a love interest in a music video so what else is new? Graham isn't just any model though. She's been shaking up the modeling business with her beautiful curves. She's not the model that everyone thinks of, but she's setting the bar pretty high rolling around in bed with every 90s kid's middle school crush.
Before landing the dream role in the video, Graham landed the cover of the swimsuit issue of Sports Illustrated, which turned many heads. She was the first plus sized model to cover the popular edition of the sports magazine. She also had modeled for several campaigns including NYDJ, and has launched her own swimsuit line. Graham is the epitome of body positivity. She is an inspiration to all, but none more than girls who need to learn how to love themselves. Loving yourself is a journey. It's definitely difficult, and anyone who tells you that it isn't is lying. It's hard for girls that aren't considered the "normal" body type to accept themselves completely because the media is constantly shoving "perfection" into everyone's face. In turn, we see so many struggles at such a young age because of the pressure to be perfect. Truth is, what we see isn't perfect. It's PhotoShop perfection.
So why is seeing a plus sized model in an up and coming band's new video of such importance? Young girls (and even those not so young!) have someone to look up to. If you're anything like me, it's nice to see someone like Joe Jonas, who meant so much to me at a young age, include Ashley Graham in this video. It changes the game. It shows that he's not afraid to make a statement, to show that all girls, no matter what shape or size you are, are beautiful and capable of being loved. I have so much respect for Jonas and the entire DNCE crew for putting such a not so inspirational, inspirational video out there. And to Ashley Graham, keep doing you.
You can view the video here:
