Ashley Graham Shows Off Cellulite Like It's No Big Deal (Because It Isn't)

Model Ashley Graham has made powerful moves toward greater body positivity in the fashion world—and she’s looked gorgeous every step of the way. Graham made body acceptance history earlier this year when she became the first size-16 model to rock the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue. While serving as backstage host at the 2016 Miss USA Pageant this month, she spoke out in favor of including more diverse women in the competition. She even walked in designer Christian Siriano’s first plus-size runway show. (Um, when does she sleep?)

Graham’s latest step towards body positivity is an Instagram photo reminding her followers that cellulite is NBD. The photo, shared yesterday, features Graham riding a bicycle in a cheerful purple dress, laughing and evidently having the time of her life. The picture also features her beautiful legs, complete with cellulite (which is very common and normal, by the way). In the photo’s caption, she wrote, “A little cellulite never hurt nobody. Stop judging yourself, embrace the things that society has called ‘ugly.'”

The post must have struck a chord with followers, because it has now received over 124,000 likes and countless uplifting comments. “You are an inspiration,” one commenter wrote. “The reason you’re so fabulous is because you’re brimming with confidence.” Another shared, “you help me be confident.” Others still just wanted to know where Graham’s fantastic dress is from. (So do we!) Take a look at the post below and get ready to feel inspired. The picture serves as a great reminder that whatever you look like right at this moment is perfectly gorgeous.

Her fans cheered her on, leaving comments like, “My hero,” “#preach,” and “What real women look like.” I guess you could say Graham puts the “model” in “role model.” And she’s not the only prominent voice calling for self-acceptance.

Body-image specialist Holli Rubin applauds Graham’s bold move, saying the model is “not only allowing her cellulite to show without covering it up and Photoshopping, but even … attempting to change followers’ views by highlighting what is usually deemed ugly and in need of being hidden.”

In April, comedian Amy Schumer slammed Glamour magazine for including her in its “Chic at Any Size!” issue focused on plus-size women. “I go between a size 6 and an 8,” she said on her Instagram. “Young girls seeing my body type thinking that is plus size? What are your thoughts? Mine are not cool glamour not glamourous.”

Recently, body-positive singer Meghan Trainor expressed her anger over having her waist digitally altered in her video “Me Too.” “I don’t know how [they] would shave my waist off,“ she told Robin Roberts on Good Morning America. “They made me skinnier than the dancers next to me.”

Pocket Money At Nine-Year High Amid Gender Gap

Children are getting an average of $12.37 a week in pocket money but the gap is widening between the earnings of boys and girls. 

Pocket money has hit a nine-year high but the gender gap is growing, with sons receiving almost 12% more than daughters. The Halifax survey of nearly 1,800 children aged eight to 15 and their parents found that they now receive $15.00 a week on average.. 

Boys received an average of $13.08 per week, compared to girls who got an average of $11.62. 

Despite getting more, boys were also more likely to complain that they were not getting enough - 44% said their parents should pay them more, compared to 39% of girls. 
There was also a gender gap last year but it was just 2%. ONS figures show that the gender pay gap for adults is 9.4%, based on the median earnings of full-time employees. 

The average pocket money payment reached $15.80 (£8.37) in 1987 and fell slightly to just over $15.10 (£8) in 2007 but, when the financial crisis hit in 2008, weekly childhood earnings plummeted to an average of $11.57 (£6.13). 

The bank found that nearly 80% of current youngsters are saving some of their pocket money, with nearly one in eight saving all of it. 

Giles Martin, head of Halifax Savings, said: "It's reassuring to see that the average weekly amount has reached a nine-year high. 
"Some parents are clearly not feeling the pinch in the same way as they have done in recent years, when weekly pocket money dipped as low as $11.12 (£5.89).  

"It's likely it'll be a few more years until we reach the dizzy heights of $15.80 (£8.37) in 2005 though, when we saw the highest average pocket money since our records began." 

London children enjoyed the highest average pocket money rate of $15.50 (£8.21), up 7.3% on last year, while children in East Anglia received an average of just $9.36 (£4.96), down 11.9% on last year. 

Scottish children had the second-highest rate of $13.33 (£7.06), while children in the South East earned $12.89 (£6.83) a week and those in the North West got an average of $12.61 ( £6.68). 
NB: The dollars are in Canadian money :-) 

"What is a Holiday? Do You Need A Holiday? Lets Talk Holiday"

Holiday overindulgence can lead to throbbing heads, expanded waistlines -- and piles of credit card bills. If you overdid the holiday shopping, here are some suggestions for getting back on track.

Stop buying. Post-holiday sales pose a huge temptation, so unsubscribe from any newsletters or deal alerts that will tell you what you're missing. Reassure yourself that there will be other sales and focus on the debt-busting task at hand.

Try a no-spend month. Create meals from what you already have in your pantry. Postpone travel and eating out. Purchase only essentials. By the end of the month, you'll likely have a few hundred extra bucks in your checking account that can be used to pay down debt.

Tap your savings. We tend to be emotionally attached to money in our savings accounts, given how hard it was to accumulate. Cold logic will tell you, though, that it makes little sense to earn 0.25 percent interest on money that could be used to pay down credit card debt accumulating interest at 25 percent -- or even at 2.5 percent. The only exception is if you're facing an imminent layoff or other big financial setback. In that case, cash is king.

Look elsewhere for money. Got gift cards? Turn them into cash using aggregator site Gift Card Granny, advises freelance personal finance writer and frugality expert Donna Freedman. Unwanted gifts? Sell them on eBay or Craigslist. Coin jar? Your bank may convert your change to cash, or you can use a Coinstar machine, which takes a 10.9 percent cut unless you opt for an electronic gift card. As soon as you get the cash, send in a credit card payment lest you be tempted to spend it elsewhere.

Tackle those debts systematically. To save the most, pay off your highest-rate debt first while paying the minimums on your other accounts. If you're worried about losing your motivation, slay a small debt. One study found that people who tackled small balances first were more likely to eliminate all their debt.

Get ready for next year. Once you're debt-free, take the payments you were applying to your cards and redirect them into a holiday savings.