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Was curvy Ashley Graham's sexy Maxim cover shoot Photoshopped? Fans voice concerns that the plus-size model's saucy topless image was 'slimmed down'

  • The plus-size model, from Lincoln, Nebraska, appears almost totally naked on the cover of the magazine, using a shirt to protect her modesty
  • Ashley shared images of the shoot with her 1.5million fans on Instagram
  • However they pointed out size 16 Ashley looked slimmed down
She's famed for her voluptuous curves and for being a role model to plus-size women everywhere.
However, size 16 (US 14) Ashley Graham's latest shoot, in which she strips off for Maxim, has come under fire by her fans for using 'too much Photoshop'.
The 28-year-old model, from Lincoln, Nebraska, proudly shared the magazine cover with her 1.5 million followers on Instagram - but they were quick to point out how different the model looked for the saucy shoot in which she holds just a white shirt to cover her modesty compared to previous shots.
Ashley Graham appears on the cover of the latest issue of Maxim almost entirely naked, using nothing but a white shirt to cover her modesty - but her fans have asked whether the picture has been Photoshopped
Ashley Graham appears on the cover of the latest issue of Maxim almost entirely naked, using nothing but a white shirt to cover her modesty - but her fans have asked whether the picture has been Photoshopped
Fans said the star looked much slimmer on the cover of the April issue of the men's magazine and asked whether the image had been Photoshopped, which they said 'totally defeats your message.'
Ashley also shared other images from the shoot, which were taken by legendary photographer Gilles Bensimon, including an image of her husband Justin Ervin squatting behind her as he cups her bare breasts with his hands.
But it was the cover image in particular which had fans on Instagram outraged.
Fans noticed that the cover looked much slimmer than other shots of size 16 (US 14) Ashley, pictured recently in an ad for her Additionelle lingerie line
Fans noticed that the cover looked much slimmer than other shots of size 16 (US 14) Ashley, pictured recently in an ad for her Additionelle lingerie line
An Instagram user posted under the handle @Blissful_life15: 'Definitely Photoshopped. That's unfortunate after everything you stand for Ashley, your curves are gorgeous and Maxim should not have minimized who you are. Shame on them!'
While @Gotadv wrote: 'I've seen better Photoshop jobs by 12-year-olds.'
@Roseco64 posted: 'I agree with all the remarks about the Photoshopping. It would have been great to see you on this cover in your true form. It totally defeats your message.'
And @Tmevans agreed that she'd had 'more than wobbly bits removed. Her proportions, which are by themselves awesome, are off. Everyone loves her for her, all her curves not just the industry standards.' 
Fans slammed the magazine for Photoshopping her 'too much' while others said the body-positive model had gone back on her message
Fans slammed the magazine for Photoshopping her 'too much' while others said the body-positive model had gone back on her message
While Medussi Molain wrote: 'Too much Photoshop Ashley Graham. You're an ambassador for curvy girls and self-esteem building then you get Photoshopped to look like Eva Mendes. 
'Just be true to what you believe in and what you're trying to encourage.'
However, Bensimon hit back taking to social media to tell fans they were wrong.

The iconic photographer said: 'I shoot this image of Ashley, and we don’t slimmer her at all!!! Sorry because you sound so convinced. [Sic]'
Responding to another user on his Instagram he further argued: 'In fact (almost no photoshop) sorry to disappoint you.' 
Ashley also shared over shots from the magazine and posted a picture of her husband holding her breasts captioned: 'When your husband shows up to work...'
Who needs a bra? In this shot, Ashley, 28, appears with her husband Justin Ervin's hands covering her breasts while she poses against a beautiful beach backdrop
Who needs a bra? In this shot, Ashley, 28, appears with her husband Justin Ervin's hands covering her breasts while she poses against a beautiful beach backdrop
Other images from the shoot are just as racy, and one of the pictures sees Ashley posed in a sexy-bondage-inspired bra and thong set from her eponymous lingerie label with Canadian plus-size retailer Addition Elle.
FEMAIL has contacted Ashley Graham's representative and Maxim for comment.
Meanwhile, Fashionista reports that it is the first time the US edition of the magazine featured a plus-size model. 
Showing it off: Ashley also poses in a set of pretty lingerie, looking like the ultimate siren as she stares seductively at the camera while pulling down on her lip
Showing it off: Ashley also poses in a set of pretty lingerie, looking like the ultimate siren as she stares seductively at the camera while pulling down on her lip
Lady in black: Last week Ashley stepped out in New York wearing a pair of very form-fitting trousers, with her hair slicked back in a high ponytail
Lady in black: Last week Ashley stepped out in New York wearing a pair of very form-fitting trousers, with her hair slicked back in a high ponytail
True love: Ashley married Justin, pictured last month at the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover launch, in 2010
True love: Ashley married Justin, pictured last month at the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover launch, in 2010
Ashley's chocolate-coloured hair is thrown over her one shoulder as she gives the camera a come-hither-stare that is accentuated by her smokey eye make-up. 
'My life, lately, is naked,' she admitted to the magazine, and the brunette beauty isn't far off. 
Another picture from the spread sees her flaunting her curves in a one-piece swimsuit from her first collection for the online retailer Swimsuitsforall, which launches in May. 
Ashley, who also had her clothing line with Dressbarn debut in March, told the magazine she considers famous moguls like Jessica Simpson, Jessica Alba, and Kathy Ireland to be her inspiration, as all three women used their fame launch wildly successful branding ventures. 
'I know these celebrity entrepreneurs are just people,' she said. 'They’ve just been given the right opportunities and have soared with them. And that’s what I’m trying to do.' 
And while her modeling career and apparel collections are booming, Ashley told Maxim that she doesn't want to stop there. 
Not only is Ashley looking to expand her clothing and accessories lines even further, she wants to develop a fitness program, become an author, and even score her own talk show.
'If I’m the frontrunner of what size diversity is, that means I really need to go into the lives and the homes of these young girls and change their minds. That’s why I really want a TV show; The Ashley Graham Show,' she told Refinery29 earlier this month.  
It's her year! Ashley appeared on the cover of 2016's Sports Illustrated Swimsuit, becoming the first curvy model to land the honor
It's her year! Ashley appeared on the cover of 2016's Sports Illustrated Swimsuit, becoming the first curvy model to land the honor
Success: The model also appeared in H&M's Paris Fashion Week show and hosted a style panel for E! at the Oscars, before attending Vanity Fair's after party (pictured)
Success: The model also appeared in H&M's Paris Fashion Week show (left) and hosted a style panel for E! at the Oscars, before attending Vanity Fair's after party (right)
It seems like Ashley would be the perfect person to score her own show. In the past two months, Ashley was featured on the cover of the 2016 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, walked the runway with iconic models such as Pat Cleveland, Jourdan Dunn, and Amber Valetta at H&M's fall 2016 studio show at Paris Fashion Week, and debuted her capsule collection, Beyond by Ashley Graham, for Dressbarn. 
Earlier this month, Ashley dubbed the term 'plus-size' as 'outdated' in an appearance at the SXSW Festival.
The body positivity advocate appeared at the festival in Austin, Texas on March 13 for an interactive panel called Acceptance Revolution: Fashion’s New Body alongside editor in chief of Yahoo! Style Joe Zee.
'I think the word "plus-sized" is totally outdated,' she said, according to the Austin American-Statesman.
While the 28-year-old star was quick to recognize the role the label has played in her success - and that her own friends feel empowered by it - she also emphasized that: 'It shouldn't be about labels.'
She added: 'I don't want to be called a label, I want to be called a model.' 

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